Til I Said it to You
by GrayMatters
Summary: ON HIATUS! 3-11-12 She's a serial rescuer with a history of adopting strays. He's selfish and arrogant, cut loose by his family to find himself. Will Bella fall for his act, or will Edward find more than he bargained for? AH/OOC M for language & lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**Guess what, I'm BAAAAACK! And with a multi-chaptered fic even - WOOT!**

**I still don't own Twilight! Yeah, it came as a huge shock to me, too. Guess i'll have to send back that solid gold toilet seat I bought with all my royalties...**

**All my love & gratitude to my betas, ScottishRose1028 and PixieKat07. And bewbie gropes & ass slaps to my amazing pre-reading team, AtHomeJo, OneBraveLamb (who named this little ditty for us), BilliCullen, and CullenCrazy01, for their amazing feedback and assistance!**

**Without further adieu, welcome to 'Til I Said it to You (title inspired by the Reba McIntyre song of the same name). **

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

"Cullen!" a gruff voice echoed down the hallway. The young man seated on the bunk, hands in his messy russet-colored hair, looked up as his name was called. Several emotions flashed across his face – first surprise and relief, quickly followed by anger and finally superiority. He remained seated until the guard was at the cell door, keys in hand. "You made bail, you need to come with me to process your paperwork."

The young man stood gracefully, his bearing regal despite the wrinkles in his expensive clothes and the cuts and bruises on his unshaven face. He sneered contemptuously at the other men in the holding cell as he approached the guard. "I told you fuckers I wouldn't be in here long. Sucks to be you!" he laughed as he stepped into the hallway, already anxious to taste the freedom.

He followed the guard to the front desk and bestowed his most charming smile on the pretty blonde clerk sitting there. "Please tell me you're the angel who's handling my paperwork," he said smoothly, his smile widening when she blushed and nodded. He glanced down, surreptitiously checking out her tits as he gleaned her name from her ID. "Well Lauren, that makes me a very happy man," he replied in a low voice that he had been told on more than one occasion made women's panties drop.

"You're not going to be happy for long, Edward," barked a steely voice behind him. Edward barely held in the eye roll as he turned to meet the cold, hard gaze of his father. "Finish your paperwork and meet me at my car."

"I have my car here, Dad," Edward reminded him.

"No, you don't. I had it towed to the house. Meet me outside, and no messing around in here," his father replied, his eyes cutting back to the pretty clerk, who now looked very uncomfortable as she quickly completed the forms needed for Edward's release.

"Sure you don't want to stay here and make sure I cross all the t's and dot all the i's, Carlisle?" Edward asked acerbically, glaring at his father.

"If you can't sign 'Edward Cullen' without realizing it doesn't have any t's or i's, perhaps I do need to stay," Carlisle retorted, just as sarcastic, before spinning on his heel and exiting the building.

Edward scowled at his father's retreating form, feeling his temper rise when the guard beside him laughed. He turned abruptly, remembering at the last moment to replace his scowl with a smile for the clerk. "Sorry about that, Lauren. My father is…" _uptight? an asshole? trying to ruin my life?_ "Intense."

"It's okay, Mr. Cullen," Lauren said in a soft voice, her eyes firmly fixed on the paperwork in front of her. "I need you to sign here, here and here, then check the contents of this envelope and make sure that your personal property is being returned to you and sign here."

Edward sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. His altercation at the bar last night had ruined his date and his chances of getting laid then, and apparently his father was fucking with his chances here as well. He dutifully signed the forms, checked his wallet, cell phone and keys and signed again. He watched as Lauren tore off his copies of the forms and handed him the neat pile. He decided to try one more time. "I do seem to be missing one thing, though"

She looked up, her big blue eyes confused. "What's that?"

"Your number?" he hinted with a playful wink.

Lauren smiled and blushed, grabbing a business card off her desk and flipping it over to scribble on it before handing it to him. Edward made sure that his fingers brushed hers this time when he accepted the card that held her full name and phone number.

Edward ignored the impatient sigh of the guard when Lauren giggled. "Thanks, angel," he said, walking toward the door. "I'll give you a call later."

He left the building, squinting in the bright sunlight as he realized he had no idea what time it was. He did realize it was a weekday and he should probably have been at work by now, but since he was with his father, who was CEO of the same company he worked for, he figured he should be just fine.

He could see his father sitting behind the wheel of his Mercedes sedan, his posture tense as he spoke into his cell phone. He spotted Edward and said a few more words before ending the call, gesturing impatiently for Edward to join him.

Edward had to tamp down the childish urge to move slower than usual just to piss off his father. He crossed the parking lot and opened the passenger door, opening his mouth to speak as he settled into the luxurious leather.

"Save it for home. Your mother is there waiting for us and I'm sure this isn't a story that I particularly want to hear twice," Carlisle said abruptly.

"All right then," Edward said, surprised that his mother had stayed home from work as well. He leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes, exhausted from a night of no sleep in the holding cell.

It seemed like only moments later that Carlisle was shaking him awake. "We're home and you are an absolute mess. Please make yourself presentable and meet your mother and me in my study in thirty minutes," Carlisle told his son.

"Sir, yes sir," Edward saluted him sarcastically, turning to march up the stairs to his room. He was tempted to ignore his father's order and climb straight into bed, but he figured Carlisle would just come find him and disturb his sleep anyway.

Carlisle watched his son climb the stairs with a heavy heart. He didn't know if he had the courage to follow through with the plan he and Esme had created during their sleepless night after Edward had called to tell them of his arrest. He reached up and ran his hands through his hair in frustration, a gesture he had seen Edward unconsciously mimic thousands of times.

Gentle hands rubbed Carlisle's shoulders and he sighed heavily, turning around to draw his wife into his arms. She held him tightly, giving him comfort and strength with her touch. "Es, are we doing the right thing?" he whispered, his voice filled with uncertainty.

Esme Masen-Cullen echoed her husband's sigh, her heart aching. "We have to do this, sweetheart. We thought he'd learn when he got in trouble at Dartmouth last year, but it only got worse when there were no consequences there. And now here at home, this is the second time he's gotten into trouble with the law. He's showing up late or hungover to work and that's when he bothers to show up at all. The parties, the girls, all of it needs to stop."

"But he's so young," Carlisle argued. "Maybe he just needs more time."

Esme's voice was sad but firm. "With the way things are now, time isn't going to change a thing. Other men his age and younger manage, Carlisle. _You _managed, before we met. Edward has always had us to do for him, he's never had to do things for himself. He can do it, I know he can; he just needs to learn how. I'm afraid this is the only way."

Carlisle leaned down and brushed his lips against Esme's, feeling her tremble beneath the kiss and he knew that this was just as hard for her as it was for him. Edward was their only child, born after two miscarriages and a highly dangerous pregnancy that the doctors warned them never to repeat. He wondered if that was perhaps why they had always indulged Edward.

Their son had always been charismatic and popular, with natural good looks, academic ability and athletic talent. He'd lettered in baseball and track in high school, as well as graduating valedictorian. His academic career at Dartmouth was just as stellar, graduating summa cum laude with a simultaneous bachelor's degree in architecture and an MBA. Despite the demand of his dual degrees, his social life hadn't exactly suffered—he had also been elected president of his fraternity two years running and was considered quite a big man on campus. They had thought that his troubles were nothing more than fraternity pranks, until they had started to be repeated here at home and now things were out of control.

Esme ruffled Carlisle's hair affectionately. "I'm going to grab a cup of coffee, would you like one?"

"Please," he said gratefully, squeezing her waist once more before letting her go. "Meet me in the office?" he asked with a hint of dread.

"It will all work out, darling. I promise," Esme said, laying her hand on her husband's cheek. Carlisle had trusted Esme with his entire life for the last twenty-five years and she had never steered him wrong. He knew she was right and they were doing what they had to do. That knowledge, however, did not make the coming confrontation any easier.

Five minutes after Esme joined Carlisle in his office Edward sauntered in, freshly showered and shaved. Esme studied her son's face, trying to hide her dismay at his appearance. She accepted his kiss on her cheek gratefully, knowing that it could be some time before he would show her affection again.

Edward settled into a chair across the desk from Carlisle and raised an eyebrow at him. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?" he asked mockingly, as if he had no idea why they were gathered there in the middle of the day.

"Would you care to explain to your mother and I what happened last night, how you ended up in jail?" Carlisle asked, hoping and praying that his son would show some responsibility and remorse for his actions.

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "Some jerk was messing with my date and got in my face when I told him to take a hike. I guess the club felt we were a little loud for their tastes."

"A 'little loud'? You two caused several thousands of dollars in property damage," Esme said in disbelief. "Not to mention your face looks like it's been run through a meat grinder," she commented sadly, lightly touching his cheek where there was a long scrape that ended near his busted lip.

Edward grinned at his mother. "Yeah, but you ought to see the other guy," he replied cheekily. "Besides, we'll just pay the club for the damages and they won't press charges. The other guy swung first so I'm in the clear there. It's all good, Mom. No worries." Edward leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head and smiling as he thought about calling Lauren later, wondering if she'd be up for a little action tonight.

He missed the look his parents exchanged as Esme moved to stand behind Carlisle, but he recognized the tone his father used next. "Edward, your mother and I need to talk to you about the consequences of your actions from last night. Actually about the way you've been acting for the last couple of years, the trouble you got into at Dartmouth, your drinking, your carousing, your work performance… everything."

Edward groaned. "Seriously? We're gonna do this right now? Because I'm pretty beat, you know I didn't really get any sleep last night, right? Although if I'm going to get the Edward-needs-to-ride-the-straight-and-narrow-from-now-on lecture again, I'd rather be asleep," he mused.

"Edward, you're aware that I own your BMW and the iPhone that you currently use, correct?" Carlisle asked abruptly.

Edward nodded sullenly, having no intention of making this any easier on his father. _I'm twenty-two years old, for Christ's sake_, he thought. _What's he going to do, ground me?_

"I assume you have your keys and phone with you?" Carlisle prompted.

Edward rolled his eyes but nodded.

"I'd like you to return both to me," Carlisle said, holding out his hand. "Now, Edward!" he barked when Edward didn't move.

"You can't take my car and phone," Edward snapped.

"Actually, I can and I am. If you refuse to turn them over I'll just have your car re-keyed and your phone deactivated. It would be easier on both of us if you just handed them to me now."

Edward gritted his teeth, reaching into his front pocket and pulling out the keys to his beloved car and tossing them carelessly on his father's desk. He pulled his iPhone out of his back pocket and threw it down on the desk top, the display lighting up with a picture of the three of them together at Edward's college graduation four months ago.

Edward ignored the proud smiles on his parents' faces from the picture and instead looked up insolently at Carlisle's blank expression. "Any thing else, Daddy? Am I grounded? Do I have a curfew? Oh wait, I can't fucking go anywhere because I don't have a fucking car!"

"Watch your language, Edward," Carlisle warned him. "And yes, there is more. I have a few things for you, actually." He handed Edward a slim phone that, while hardly a relic, certainly didn't have all the bells and whistles of Edward's iPhone.

"What's this?" Edward asked with distaste, flipping open the display.

"This is a pay-per-month phone. Your mother and I have paid for the first month, but you will be responsible for any other months. For now, it only has calling. If you want—and can afford—texting and data, you will have to add and pay for those yourself."

Edward thought of his job at Masen Design & Construction and the significant salary he earned there and planned to have his iPhone back before the month was out. "All right. What else, Pops?"

Carlisle ignored Edward's sarcastic tone. "This is your debit card. It is attached to your checking account and is not, I repeat, _not_ a credit card. Its limit is whatever you have saved in your account and you don't get more until _you_ put more in there—your mother and I will not be contributing to the account. We have canceled all of your credit cards, Edward. Before you argue with me, I am perfectly within my rights to do so, since you were merely a signor on my accounts and they were not accounts of your own. You're welcome to apply for your own cards; however, I think you'll find that very few banks are willing to grant credit to someone who doesn't have employment or even a place to live."

"Employment? Place to live?" Edward echoed hollowly, his eyes searching from Carlisle to Esme and back again. "Dad, what are you…"

"Edward, your mother and I think that you are having some trouble finding your place in the world. In the company. In the family." For the first time, Carlisle's voice faltered.

Esme squeezed Carlisle's shoulder and took over speaking, her voice strong. "Edward, you are hereby dismissed from your position at Masen Design & Construction. You may list the company on your work history and we will provide a professional reference, but do not expect it to be more than that."

Edward was speechless as he stared at his parents. They wanted him to do _what_? Go out and find a _job_? It had been understood since before he went off to college that he would one day assume the reins at Masen. Both of his parents worked at Masen, Esme as the head of design and Carlisle as the CEO. It was the Masen family business, inherited from and built up since the death of Esme's father. But now Edward was apparently _dismissed_ from the family business. He opened his mouth to speak, but his mother waved him off; she obviously had more to say.

Esme took a deep breath before continuing. "And we feel it's time for you to find a place of your own. You've never lived on your own, not even in college, and you need to see what it's like, making a living for yourself, being responsible for yourself. You need to get a job on your own talents, earn a paycheck, pay rent, grocery shop, cook and do your own laundry, make a budget." Esme's voice was lighter and she actually sounded excited, as if she was sending Edward off on an adventure.

To Edward, it sounded as if she was sentencing him to hell. "Because _you've_ done all those things, right Mom? The housekeeper, the groundskeeper, the chef—they're just all for show? This house, which you inherited from Grandfather, you pay rent here, right? The company you work for, started by and named for your father, you got your job there by filling out a job application, did you?"

"Edward, you will not speak to your mother that way!" Carlisle snapped as Esme gasped in shock at Edward's words. "I know this is a surprise to you, but we feel this is necessary to get you on the right path again. You've lost your way, Edward. You're not living up to your potential; you're not being the man that we know you can be. The drinking, the partying, the women, staying out all night and either coming in late or blowing off work altogether...it's unacceptable and you need to turn your life around."

"Don't you think it would be easier with, oh I don't know...a job and a place to live?" Edward spat sarcastically.

"You've got money in the bank, which is more than most kids have when they graduate college," Carlisle said, nodding at the debit card in Edward's hand. "Find an inexpensive apartment to rent."

"Most kids have parents that help them, rather than fire them and kick them out of their own home," Edward muttered darkly. "How am I supposed to find this 'inexpensive apartment' or even a job without a vehicle?"

"You have more money in the bank than most kids," Carlisle said. "If you're careful, you'll be able to afford to pay cash for a good used car plus manage your other expenses. And as far as a job goes, we live in the largest city in Washington State. There are hundreds of jobs in Seattle—all you need to do is find one."

"When do you want me gone?" Edward asked gruffly, clearing his throat around the sudden lump that had developed.

"We think it would be best to start right away. Your mother and I can put you up in a hotel for a week if…" Carlisle said, his voice compassionate.

Edward straightened his shoulders and met his father's gaze, identical green eyes clashing, refusing to give in to the impulse he suddenly had to throw himself into his parents' arms and weep. "No, as you said, it would be best to start right away, so I'll manage. What am I allowed to take with me?"

"Your clothes of course, and your personal effects from your room. I'd say just about anything you took to college is up for grabs. Your laptop, however, is Masen Design property and must stay. Do you want some help?" Esme asked.

"No, thank you. I'll go pack my things and call a cab," Edward said stiffly, rising from the chair and pocketing his new cell phone. He pulled out his wallet and placed the debit card inside, removing the credit cards he'd had in there for years and tossing them on his father's desk.

"You don't need to take a cab, we can drive you anywhere you need to go," Carlisle protested.

"Step one in learning to 'manage my expenses', right Mom?" Edward smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm going to go up and pack now. Did either one of you want to supervise to make sure I'm not taking something that isn't allowed?"

"Edward, don't -" Esme started, but he cut her off.

"Edward don't _what_, Mom?" he snarled, running his hands through his hair as he looked back and forth between his parents. "You two are kicking me out, without a car, without a job and without a place to live. Don't expect me to be all happy and thank you for it. As far as days go, this one would have to rank as one of my worst."

"It's not exactly high on our list of good days either, son," Carlisle said gently, a hint of regret in his tone.

"Says the man who's kicking me out. Sure thing, Dad," Edward replied, his voice hard and his eyes cold when they met his father's. "No worries, I can't pack fast enough."

Carlisle let out a ragged breath when Edward stormed from the study, slamming the door so hard it made the windows rattle. He looked over at his wife, whose eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"We're doing the right thing, right?" she whispered.

"I think so, Es, I think so. He'll be fine. He's half Masen and half Cullen—it's not in his genetic makeup to fail," Carlisle's voice was persuasive, but he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince his wife or himself.

They left the office, heading for the living room which faced the front door. Upstairs they could hear Edward slamming drawers and cabinets. Carlisle and Esme sat closely together on the couch, his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders, both taking comfort from the contact.

Edward trudged down the stairs about forty-five minutes later, a large duffel in each hand. He looked at his parents with the same hard expression he had worn earlier in the office. "This is all I can manage this trip. May I return for a few more things when I get settled?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Esme said soothingly, making a muscle in Edward's jaw flex in response. "Can we drive you somewhere?"

"No, the cab should be here any minute."

"Will you call us and let us know where you end up, how you're doing?" Carlisle requested.

"Why, do you really care? Seriously, you're kicking me out and then you expect me to make regular status reports?"

"Edward, we love you, and believe it or not what we're doing here is for your own good." Esme reached out to touch Edward's shoulder, but he pulled back before she could make contact.

"I choose to believe...not. My cab is here. I'll see you around," Edward said, walking out the front door without looking back at the house or his parents. As the cab pulled away, Edward removed the cell phone from his pocket and deleted the contacts for Esme and Carlisle Cullen, vowing not to call them for anything.

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><p><strong>Show of hands - who thinks Edward's an ass? *counts* Yep, he is!<strong>

**I'm going to do my best to stick to a once-a-week (or every 10 days) posting schedule, but I make no promises, because about the time I do, my world just goes to hell.**

**If there was anything in this chapter that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration, please send me a review & let me know. I'll do my best to answer you! Thanks for taking the time to read!**

**~GM**


	2. Chapter 2

**I still don't own Twilight! Yeah, it's a huge shock to me, too. But I **_**do**_** own tickets to the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn and the Twilight movie marathon that precedes it. Not to mention the amazing group of ladies I will be spending those eight hours with – 40 DAYS AND COUNTING!**

**Wow, the response to the first chapter completely overwhelmed me. You, my readers, are AMAZING! Thanks so much for all the reviews, favorites, and pimping.**

**All my love & gratitude to my betas, ScottishRose1028 and PixieKat07. Many thanks to my amazing pre-reading team, AtHomeJo, OneBraveLamb, BilliCullen, and CullenCrazy01, for their amazing feedback and assistance!**

**Please check out my FFN profile for the amazing banners for this story created by the ever-talented Melee03. She is the BEST! And she tells me I'm supposed to pick a favorite one? Yeah, like I could!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

An incredibly uncomfortable sensation woke Bella Swan from the depths of her slumber. She reluctantly opened her eyes and squinted in the dim light as she tried to make sense of the way the room was turned, the tilted furniture, and the sideways lamp lying right in front of her. Another shooting pain in her neck made her realize that the lamp was not sideways—she was. She had fallen asleep studying. _Again_.

A low moan escaped her lips as she sat up on the couch, her hands rubbing the tense muscles of her neck and shoulders as she tried to work out the stiffness. A quick glance at the clock made her groan anew; she'd really needed to get through that review last night if she was going to be ready for her study group this afternoon. Accomplishing that goal apparently wasn't in the cards, as she had slept the entire night away and failed to complete her outline. She hoped for time between classes today to work on her section so that the other students in her group wouldn't suffer from her lack of preparation.

_Not much longer now,_ she reminded herself as she slowly rose from the couch, finding other aches and pains in addition to the knot in her neck. The popping and cracking of joints as she stretched were more suited to an eighty-year old than her relatively young age of twenty-three, but then again, burning the midnight oil…_more like the two a.m. oil_…was bound to have an effect.

She padded quietly to the small kitchen and yawned as she started the coffee maker, knowing she was going to need the caffeine to make it through the day. She took a quick shower while the coffee brewed, going over her schedule for the day in her head as she dressed in comfortable jeans and a long-sleeved tee shirt. School, study group, work…it was a never-ending cycle. But with each test she took and each course she passed, she was one step closer to her goal.

While other students agonized over choosing their majors in college, Bella had known since age five that she wanted to become a nurse. Her mother said she was a born caretaker. While other little girls took dance lessons and dreamed about becoming ballerinas, Bella rescued baby birds and nursed them back to health. No stray dog or cat ever went hungry when she was around. Human strays were adopted in very much the same manner; she was the first to befriend a new student in school or take a shy classmate under her wing. She was also the first to volunteer for a worthy cause, whether it was her time, effort or money, and very often all three. She had racked up an impressive number of volunteer hours during her high school career, all of which she knew would look great on her college applications.

Unfortunately her family's financial situation, along with the stiff competition for scholarship and grant money, had made going away to school an unattainable dream. Undeterred, Bella worked and attended the community college near her tiny hometown of Forks, Washington for two years before applying to nursing program at the University of Washington in Seattle. Once settled into the city, she continued to work to pay her expenses while carrying an almost full-time credit load. While it made for some long days and even longer nights, Bella stuck to her plan with determination.

The only real hiccup in those plans had come just a little over two years ago when she'd started dating Jasper Whitlock. They'd met at the bar where Bella waitressed and hit it off instantly, Jasper's laid-back, fun-loving attitude being just the thing Bella needed to balance out her constant work and school demands. Despite her nearly impossible schedule, she made time to spend with him and they fell into an easy, comfortable relationship.

The romance itself came to an abrupt if amicable end when Mary Alice Brandon wandered into the bar one evening, new in town and looking for a place to unwind. It was a quiet night overall and Bella spent quite a bit of time talking with Alice, enjoying her enthusiasm and friendliness. Only a blind person could have missed the spark between Jasper and Alice when Bella introduced them. In her usual straightforward manner, Bella later asked Jasper if he was attracted to Alice. While her ego took a hit when Jasper called Alice the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, her heart was surprisingly unaffected. They parted ways romantically, but promised to maintain the friendship they had built.

That vow—and Jasper and Alice's fledgling relationship—was tested when Bella discovered a few weeks later that she was pregnant. Although Jasper had offered to 'do the right thing', Bella never seriously considered getting back together with him. She didn't want to be anyone's obligation. She cared for him and he for her, but she had known for some time that they were never meant to stay together. Alice, however, had taken the news of Bella's pregnancy particularly hard and the tentative friendship they had struck disappeared. For Jasper's sake, the two women now co-existed as peacefully as they could.

Presently the sound of a quiet giggle broke into her thoughts and Bella smiled despite her weariness. It only took her seven steps to cross the tiny living room of her apartment and peek in through the doorway of the bedroom. Standing there in the crib in footie pajamas printed with monkeys and bananas was Hailey Johanna Whitlock Swan. She watched the doorway, her big brown eyes lighting up and a delighted smile crossing her face as she spied Bella. "Mama, Mama, Mama!" Hailey called in her lilting soprano voice.

"'Morning Hailey Jo," Bella said, rushing in to scoop up her daughter and press kisses to her sleep pinkened cheeks. Hailey giggled again and snuggled her head beneath Bella's chin, her fluffy blonde curls tickling Bella's nose. "Did you sleep well?"

"Hawey sweep," the little girl confirmed, pointing to her crib. And Bella was grateful that Hailey _did_ sleep now. The little girl had suffered from colic and acid reflux as an infant and hadn't started sleeping through the night until she was almost a year old. Those twelve months had truly been the longest of Bella's relatively short, sleep-deprived life.

Now eighteen-months old, Hailey had started stringing short sentences together in the last few weeks and Bella felt absurdly proud when her daughter showed these signs of progress. She had always been ahead of the curve, rolling over, crawling and walking earlier than most children in her age group at daycare. She had been keeping Bella on her toes since the day she started moving. She was incredibly bright and verbal and although Jasper worried about her lisp the doctor assured them it was quite normal for a child her age. Not to mention that Bella and almost everyone else in Hailey's life found her speech patterns absolutely adorable.

Bella stripped Hailey out of her sleeper and changed her diaper, making a mental note to talk to the babysitter again about potty training so she could eliminate the ungodly expense of diapers from her budget. Bella set Hailey on the floor in front of the closet they shared and asked, "What do you want to wear today, Sweet Pea?" Her daughter had very strong opinions about most things and had recently turned that focus to her wardrobe. While Bella was able to guide her to make sure the clothing was weather- and season-appropriate, Hailey chose her own outfits now.

Hailey placed her index finger on her chin as she thought, and Bella grinned at the gesture she'd seen Jasper do countless times. "Dwess, Mama," Hailey finally said, as though the decision was not the same exact one she made every day. Nearly all of the clothes in Hailey's wardrobe were dresses. Hailey chose a brown dress with pink polka dots, her red striped tights, and her white summer sandals. Bella giggled to herself, thinking of the fit that Alice would have when she saw Hailey's outfit. It wouldn't have been Bella's first choice either, but she was quickly learning to choose her battles with her headstrong toddler. However, as a fashion merchandiser for one of Seattle's department stores, Alice had complained more than once about Hailey's "unique" fashion, even commenting in front of Jasper's parents that Hailey definitely had Bella's sense of style…or lack thereof. As usual, Bella had bit her tongue in favor of keeping the peace.

Bella followed the toddler to the bathroom, where Hailey wiggled on the stool as Bella tried to fix her hair. "'Ta-wulls, Mama!" Hailey requested, choosing one green ribbon and one purple ribbon from the basket on the vanity. Bella brushed her daughter's silky curls and carefully arranged them into twin ponytails, around which she tied the mismatched ribbons. Hailey smiled brightly when they were finished and turned to Bella, lifting her arms to her. "Sugar, Mama," Hailey demanded, puckering her little pink lips for a smooch.

Bella smiled at yet another habit Hailey had picked up from her father and kissed her daughter before sweeping her up into her arms and carrying her to the kitchen. She placed Hailey in her booster seat with a picture book and grabbed herself a cup of coffee before turning to the refrigerator to see what she could make for breakfast. A quick perusal of the nearly empty shelves had Bella wondering when she would be able to work a grocery trip into her already jam-packed schedule…and penny-stretched budget. Her checkbook was still reeling from having to purchase her books a few weeks ago and although Jasper paid some child support, it was only a minimal amount due to their shared custody arrangement. She poured some milk into Hailey's sippy cup and removed the last couple of eggs and a small block of cheese from the refrigerator. "How about some eggs and toast for breakfast?"

"Eggs, eggs, eggs!," the little girl chanted, her little fists pounding the table.

"Use your manners, Hailey. 'Eggs please'," Bella reminded her.

"Eggs pwees," Hailey mimicked.

Bella placed Hailey's sippy cup in front of her before setting to work on their breakfast. She made sure that Hailey had enough to eat before helping herself to what was left of the eggs and pouring herself another cup of coffee. She tried to sneak in some additional study time before they had to leave, but Hailey had other plans, playing one of her favorite question games with her picture book.

"Whazzih?" Hailey asked Bella, pointing to a picture in her book.

"Giraffe," Bella answered, smiling when Hailey attempted to repeat the word after her.

"Whazzih?" Hailey asked again, pointing to another picture. And so it went, over and over again, Hailey's vocabulary expanding by leaps and bounds as Bella identified the pictures. She clutched the book tightly as Bella buckled her into her car seat and went through the pictures as they drove toward the university, repeating, sometimes with comical results, the names of some of the objects in her picture book.

Bella pulled up to the university daycare center, feeling the familiar tug-of-war of guilt and excitement she always did at dropping Hailey off. She hated leaving her little girl, but knew that her efforts towards her education were only going to benefit the both of them in the long run. And she really did love her classes, learning and spending time with her peers…not to mention having conversation that consisted of more than "whazzih?"

After a short goodbye filled with hugs and more 'sugar', Bella moved her vehicle to a nearby student lot and trudged off to her first class, a microbiology lab that had been kicking her ass all semester. She hoped she'd consumed enough caffeine this morning to keep her awake, because nodding off would not be good for her grade.

She made it through her lab and her genetics class, taking a quick moment to eat the sandwich she'd brought from home before meeting her study group. It turned out she wasn't the only one who hadn't completed their outline the night before and although it assuaged her guilt somewhat, she was frustrated to be even more behind. Midterms weren't too far off and she needed a stellar mark in this class to have any hope of scholarship money next semester.

"Hey Bella, I'm done with my sections, so if you'd like I would be happy to help you work on your outline," Eric Yorkie, one of the brightest students in their class, offered shyly, his ears turning red as they often did when he spoke with her.

Bella knew that Eric had a bit of a crush on her and while some girls in their class had urged her to use that to her advantage, Bella refused to do so. "I appreciate the offer, Eric, but I'll never learn it if I have you do it, will I?"

"I suppose not," Eric said, a touch of disappointment coloring his tone. "But you'll let me know if I can help?"

"Of course," Bella agreed, smiling at him and bringing another blush to his cheeks.

Bella's phone buzzed on the table, the alarm reminding her that it was nearly time for her to leave for work. She packed up her books and notes and bid farewell to her study group, promising to email the completed outline for her chapter as soon as she could get it done.

Bella's phone buzzed again on her way to work, a text from Alice telling her that she had picked up Hailey from daycare and thanking her for the "super" outfit she was wearing. Bella gritted her teeth, annoyed that Alice had been the one to pick up Hailey…again. She was going to have to talk to Jasper about making sure that their daughter's days with him were actually spent with _him_ and not just Alice. A part of her knew she should be grateful that Alice had so willingly accepted Hailey, but a larger part of her resented the fact that Alice tended to just take over without asking.

Bella pulled into the parking lot of Eclipse, the bar/restaurant where she waitressed. It was fairly deserted this time of day, but they pulled in a great happy hour crowd that morphed into a sports-watching and pool-playing crowd not too long after the dinner hour, as well as traffic spilling over from the nearby hotels. While they didn't offer an extensive menu, the burgers and other traditional fare kept the customers coming back and Bella had a group of regulars that tipped fairly well.

Bella slipped behind the bar, grabbed her apron and tied it around her waist as she reviewed the schedule before her shift started. An older woman with strawberry blonde hair looked up and smiled at her from behind the cash register. "Oh, hey Bella, how was your day?"

"Busy, but productive," Bella told Tanya, returning her smile. She loved working here for Tanya and her husband, James. At first the couple seemed very gruff and intimidating, but they had been wonderful to her with her school schedule and even more so with her unexpected pregnancy. Tanya and James even babysat Hailey when Bella had plans.

Not that she went out all that frequently. She had precious little time between her daughter, school and work to even attempt a social life. She was more than a little nervous about putting herself out there again, especially with Hailey in her life. Discovering that she was pregnant had been a sobering experience for Bella, only twenty at the time and with a world of plans ahead of her. She had been pretty carefree in her relationships before then, enjoying the company of whomever she was seeing with few restrictions. But with the birth of her daughter, Bella had sworn off casual physical relationships that she knew had no real chance for a future. She owed her daughter a better life than the revolving door of boyfriends that her mother Renee had exposed her to growing up.

Of course, that didn't stop Tanya from pushing Bella to start dating again. She would often point out attractive men at the bar, or give her email address to single friends, but Bella was quite proficient at dodging such setups. It was the one time she was grateful for the excuse of her busy schedule.

"Bella! I need you to check this recipe for me!" called James from the doorway of the kitchen. While James teased his wife that Bella had more refined taste buds to sample his culinary creations, Bella had once overheard them discussing her financial situation and coming up with ways to make sure she and Hailey were eating properly. Though she was embarrassed, she knew she couldn't afford to turn down their generosity and simply pretended she didn't know what they were really doing.

Bella ducked into the kitchen, where she chatted with James for a few minutes and suggested a spice or two for the dish before praising it as the best meal of her day. James refilled her bowl and slipped a thick piece of crusty French bread on her plate before turning back to the grill. Bella felt tears in her eyes and worked at swallowing around the lump in her throat. She was so lucky to have the friends she did.

It turned out to be a busy night and Bella spent most of it on her feet, hopping from one table to the next. A group of drunken fraternity boys tried to get a little to handsy with her, but James swooped down and saved her. Unfortunately for her, the ring-leader held a grudge and only tipped her two dollars on a fifty-eight dollar tab. Bella sighed; men like that were the reason she wasn't dating at all. Who had the patience to deal with those kind of games?

Before she knew it, the end of Bella's shift had arrived and she was gathering her things to head home. James appeared by her elbow as if by magic, and they walked out to her car—even though the bar wasn't in the worst part of town, it wasn't exactly the best either. James never let her walk out alone.

Back in her apartment, Bella dropped to the couch with an exhausted sigh. The clock read three minutes after midnight and she realized she'd been sitting in this exact same spot twenty-four hours ago. Fighting off the bone-deep weariness, she pulled her textbook from her bag and started reading, knowing the outline wouldn't write itself. For Hailey and herself, she would do this. Any sacrifice was worth it.

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><p><strong>So, what do you think of our heroine? She may not have been what you were expecting...or at least I hope so! I'd love to hear your thoughts, so if there was anything in this chapter that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration, please send me a review! I do try to answer each and every one and I absolutely LOVE hearing from you! <strong>

**I can be found on Facebook as GrayMatters FanFiction, and on Twitter as GrayMattersFF. I'm thinking about teasers on either or both, so look me up :)**

**Thanks for taking the time to read!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Despite my repeated requests to Stephenie Meyer, she has not relinquished her rights and I still don't own Twilight! I consider myself much luckier that Ms. Meyer, because I am the owner of a couple of kick ass banners and a blinkie made by my girl Melee03 – they are linked on my FFN profile. I am also the proud owner of a copy of the second graphic novel and the US Magazine Breaking Dawn issue. My daughter wanted to know if I was going to hang the Rob poster on my wall. I plead the fifth...**

**All my love & thanks to ScottishRose1028 and PixieKat07, the super-betas that clean up this mess up for me. I am filled with sincere gratitude and devotion for my pre-reading team—AtHomeJo, OneBraveLamb, BilliCullen, and CullenCrazy01—they are the greatest sounding board a writer could ever ask for!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

The harsh ringing of a phone echoed throughout the otherwise silent room. Desperate to escape the persistent sound, Edward buried his head beneath his pillow, swearing when the ringing continued. He shoved the pillow aside and groaned, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes to try and block out the early morning sunlight. He groped the nightstand for his cell phone before he realized it was the hotel line ringing.

"'Lo?" he mumbled into the receiver, struggling to hear over the pounding of blood in his ears.

"Mr. Cullen, this is the front desk. We are just checking to see if you plan to extend your stay?" asked a cheerful voice.

"Uh, do you need to know right now?" Edward asked with a groan, rubbing his eyes again and squinting at the clock. Seriously, what the fuck were they doing calling him before noon?

"Actually sir, yes we do. You are already two days past when you told us you would be checking out and your suite is in high demand. The hotel is going to be quite booked up for the weekend and if your room is going to be available..." the voice of the clerk trailed off, uncertain now.

"Let me take care of a few things here and I'll come down to the desk," Edward mumbled, hanging up the receiver without waiting for a response and falling back against the pillows.

He didn't realize he'd stayed here for over a week already. He'd spent the last however many days of his banishment in a drunken haze, more or less. He'd taken the cab from his parents' to one of his favorite downtown Seattle hotels. Giving them his debit card at the front desk, he secured a three-room suite and proceeded to get completely shit-faced in an attempt to forget being all but disowned.

The next morning, completely hung over, he made his way to the business center of the hotel and worked on finding a job. He searched the on-line want ads and applied for every architecture job he'd seen advertised, but they all wanted either specialized licensing or years of experience. The only advertised job he qualified for was an entry-level position…at Masen Design. A wave of nausea crashed over him when he realized it was his former position that Masen was advertising.

He naively thought it would be easy to find a new job in his field. He'd graduated at the top of his class with a dual degree from an ivy-league school and expected that to pave the way for him. He was more than a little stunned to find that the firms he contacted weren't nearly as impressed with his academic credentials as they would have been with good, solid work experience, as one human resources manager told him.

Another night of drinking, another day of trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do for a job. He thought about that 'good, solid work experience' firms were looking for. He'd worked three months in his position with Masen Designs, not that he'd had much of a chance to design anything during that short time. Two architectural summer internships at Masen. And before that, summers in high school and college working the construction side of Masen with his father. He realized with dawning horror that he'd never held a job anywhere except for the family business.

The days began to blur together in a massive ball of rejection. He'd heard it all: he was under-qualified, he was over-qualified, they wanted someone with more experience, they wanted someone with transportation, they wanted someone who was willing to relocate. He took to watching horrible daytime television and drinking himself into a stupor, only leaving his room for occasional meals.

Edward stumbled to the bathroom and was more than a little shocked by the sight of his own reflection. His hair was greasy and plastered against his head, except for the patches that stood straight up from his fingers running through it. His beard had grown beyond the attractive scruff stage and he was headed straight into grizzly-man territory. His eyes were swollen and bloodshot. He looked like he hadn't showered in days, and he _smelled_ like it, too. He quickly peeled off his stale clothing and stepped into the shower, shivering beneath the cool spray until the water warmed.

As he scrubbed himself clean with the hotel shampoo and shower gel, he ruminated over his current situation. He couldn't stay here at the hotel forever. As nice as it was to have the maid service, it was beyond his _budget_, he thought with a grimace. He'd hoped that his parents would come to their senses and apologize, bringing him back into the family fold and business. However, after endless days of silence from his new cell phone, Edward had finally realized that they had meant it when they told him he was on his own. The thought made his already pounding head hurt even more.

He shaved the overgrown beard from his face and sought out a clean set of clothes, settling on a pair of black trousers and a white dress shirt. He set aside a tie and jacket, in case he would need them later, and proceeded to the front desk to see about continuing his room.

"Welcome to the Fairmont Olympic, how may I assist you?" asked a man standing behind the desk. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in Edward's bloodshot eyes and slightly rumpled clothing.

"Uh, I'm Edward Cullen. I need to see about extending my stay," he replied, straightening a little under the clerk's scrutiny.

"Ah yes, Mr. Cullen," the man said, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "The Fairmont would be honored if you continued to stay with us; however, I'm afraid we'll have to move you. We'll of course send someone to assist with your packing and relocation. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but there is a rather large gathering here starting tomorrow evening and your suite is spoken for. If you could take a few moments to reconcile your current statement, we can see about booking you another room."

"Fine," Edward agreed, somewhat sullenly, drumming his fingers on the counter top as the efficient clerk printed his statement and handed it to him with a professional smile.

Edward flipped through the pages, interested only in the number on the last page. _Holy__shit!_ he thought, gaping at the number, which was nearly a quarter of the money he had in his bank account. He looked up at the desk clerk, whose smile never wavered, then back to the bill. Nope, the number didn't change. If anything, it appeared to stand out all the more. He quickly tried to regain his composure.

"Very well, then," Edward said, embarrassed when his voice cracked. "If you could book me a single room for now, I'll be staying at the Fairmont a few more days."

"Of course, Mr. Cullen," the clerk answered, tapping the keyboard once again. He handed him a new keycard. "Shall I send up a bellhop to assist you with the move?"

"No, thank you. I'll handle that myself," Edward replied, pocketing the key card. "I should be out of there in about a half an hour, then."

Once back in the suite, he sat down on the edge of his bed and dropped his head into his hands, feeling his headache continuing to build. He'd only been on his own for nine days and he'd managed to blow a quarter of his savings on his hotel accommodations. "Fuck!" he yelled at the ceiling, falling back onto the bed. How could his parents have done this to him?

He felt a sharp stab of anger at the thought of Esme and Carlisle, who were probably lounging around the family estate while he was out here on his own, not even knowing from where his next meal would come. He got up and started haphazardly shoving his belongings into his duffel bags. He slammed the suite door behind him with a feeling of satisfaction and sought his new accommodations, annoyed by the lack of space the single room with its king-sized bed offered. He sat heavily on the richly upholstered sofa and tried to work out what he needed to do next.

A job—he needed a job before he could start thinking about a place to live. Edward returned to the lobby and grabbed a copy of the Seattle Times, discarding everything except the classified ads. A quick perusal showed no new positions under "Architecture."

He flipped to the "Construction" heading and started reading the ads there. Again, a great many of the positions required specialized knowledge or experience in specific fields he didn't have. One small ad caught Edward's eye, for a "general construction" position at Hale & McCarty. He'd never heard of the company before, but they were located just a couple of streets over and the advertisement said they'd accept walk-in interviews from noon to three each day. Even if he wasn't qualified, he was sure he'd be able to charm his way through the interview.

Edward stepped out into the afternoon, surprised to find the day sunny and almost dry, a minor miracle for Seattle this time of year and completely at odds with his current mood. He checked the address of Hale & McCarty again and headed in that direction, waving off the doorman that offered to hail a cab. As he walked, he laughed humorlessly when he thought about how to handle an interview for a job he neither wanted nor intended to keep for any longer than he had to.

Fifteen minutes later he stood before an unassuming building, looking at the unassuming door marked Hale & McCarty, feeling unimpressed. _Might__as__well__get__this__over__with_, he thought, going inside. The small reception area was empty, no one sitting at the desk that guarded entrance to the rest of the office. He waited for a minute or two, studying the pictures on the wall. "Hello?" he called through the open doorway behind the desk. "Anybody here?" He had to wonder about the kind of place that would leave its front door opened and its reception area untended.

"I'm sorry; I was just running a couple of copies in the back and didn't hear the door." The owner of the responding voice was an absolutely stunning blonde with a friendly smile on her face. "May I help you?"

"Sure, I'm here to see Mr. Hale or Mr. McCarty?" he asked, using his most dazzling smile.

The blonde frowned. "I'm sorry, Mr. McCarty is in a meeting, and _Mr_. Hale is not here."

Edward missed the odd inflection in her tone; all he heard was that the bosses were not in. "Do you know how long Mr. McCarty's meeting will take?"

"I'm afraid I have no idea, Mr. …?"

"Cullen, Edward Cullen. I know that the ad said walk-in interviews from noon to three, otherwise I would have called first," he mused, frustrated that he'd wasted his time coming all the way down there.

"Wait, you're here to interview for the general construction job?" the blonde asked, her eyes opening wide with surprise. "In an Armani suit? C'mon, what kind of joke is this?"

Edward bristled at the disbelieving tone in her voice. "What's wrong with Armani?"

"Nothing, if you're interviewing on Wall Street. It's a bit of overkill around here," the blonde laughed. "We don't get much call for carpenters in designer clothes. Frankly I don't think your Gucci loafers would hold up very well on a work site."

"They're Prada," Edward corrected, his irritation growing.

The blonde laughed even harder. "Well pardon me, Tim Gunn. _They__'__re__Prada_," she mocked with a raised eyebrow.

Edward reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and his forefinger, feeling his headache build. "Look, Blondie, all I wanna do is talk to the man in charge about the job in the paper."

"Blondie? _Man_ in charge?" the blonde huffed indignantly. "Now listen here, I'll have you know…"

"Hey Rose, you about ready to…um, am I interrupting something?" a tall, dark-haired man appeared in the doorway and looked back and forth between Edward and the blonde, quickly sensing the tension in the air.

"No, Mr. Cullen was just leaving," the blonde announced, glaring at Edward.

"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "I'm here about the job in the paper. Are you Mr. McCarty?"

"Yeah, I'm Emmett McCarty. You wanna tell me why Rosie is kicking you out before you even got an interview?" the man named Emmett asked. Edward realized with an uneasy swallow that Emmett didn't just stand in the doorway, he _filled_it, his body a thick mass of muscles. And muscle-man looked downright protective of the blonde.

"All I said was that I wanted to see the man in charge and she got all uppity with me," Edward defended himself.

Emmett laughed loudly and winked at Rosalie, who scowled in return. "Ah yes, I see. Well, _Ms.__Hale_ tends to get, how did you put it, 'all uppity' when chauvinistic men make assumptions about the owners of this business."

"_Ms_. Hale?" Edward asked, his jaw dropping a bit in surprise.

"You asked if Mr. Hale was here. _Mr._ Hale is not, because my father doesn't work for Hale & McCarty." Rose had an outrageous grin on her face now, clearly enjoying Edward's discomfort.

"Well shit, so much for a good first impression," Edward muttered, rubbing his hand over his face and raking his fingers through his hair. He was embarrassed. His own mother was the head of design at Masen, so he knew better than most that construction was no longer just a man's industry.

Rose laughed. "It happens all the time. At least you just called me Blondie and not something really insulting like sweet cheeks or angel."

Edward's felt his cheeks redden, remembering how he had called the girl at the police station angel. "Please accept my apologies, Ms. Hale. I'm sorry for assuming…"

Rose waved him off. "Well unlike the saying, when you assume around here it just makes an ass out of 'u'. Apology accepted. Have a seat." She waited a moment while Edward pulled up a chair. "So are you actually qualified to do general carpentry, Mr. Cullen? We are a busy outfit and don't have time to train some pretty boy who suddenly wants to 'work with his hands'."

"While my most recent experience is with design work, I worked several summers doing construction as well," Edward responded.

"Really?" Emmett asked, eying him as if he didn't believe it. "Who for?"

"Masen Design & Construction," Edward admitted unwillingly, his brow creasing in a frown.

"Masen? Well, that explains the Armani," Rose commented, arching an inquisitive eyebrow at Edward again. "Why'd you leave and what brings you slumming in this part of town?"

"My time at Masen was done and this place was within walking distance of my hotel," Edward answered bluntly. "Not that I consider this slumming," he added hastily.

"Walking distance? No car?" she guessed.

Edward nodded, unconsciously clenching his jaw as he thought of his BMW gathering dust while he hoofed it everywhere.

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem. As long as you can get yourself here each morning before the teams leave you can catch a ride with them," Emmett said with a shrug. "So why should we hire you…what's your first name?"

"Edward. Edward Cullen."

"Okay, Edward. Sell it to me," Emmett said.

Edward thought for a moment. "Well, I've worked all different aspects of residential and commercial construction. I'm a quick learner and generally don't have to be told how to do something more than once. I promise to be reliable, hard-working, trustworthy…" His voice trailed off when he realized how lame he sounded.

"A proverbial Boy Scout," Rose quipped. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. I really need this job," he said with brutal honestly and just a hint of desperation in his tone.

"So do the others applying for the job," Emmett replied just as honestly. "Around here, 'general construction' means work site grunt. You do whatever the other, more experienced people, tell you to do. If that means pound nails, you pound nails. If that means cleaning up the site, you clean up the site. No job is too small for you and you're not too important to do any job."

As distasteful as it sounded, Edward knew he had little choice. "I'm your man," he agreed. "When can I start?"

"I'm not saying you've got the job, but I'm willing to give you a try. Why don't you meet me back here tomorrow morning at six and I'll take you with me to one of our job sites? You can show me what you're capable of and I can get a better read on your skills. Deal?" Emmett asked.

"Sure," Edward said, a feeling of relief washing over him. The job wasn't his—_yet__—_but at least he had his foot in the door.

"Here's my cell phone number, in case you change your mind," Emmett replied, scribbling his number on the back of a Hale & McCarty business card.

Edward took the card and then shook Emmett's hand. "I'll be here," he promised.

"If you can fill out this application and bring it back with you tomorrow," Rosalie said, handing him some paperwork. "Do you have any objection if I call Masen to verify your employment there?"

Edward's heart thudded nervously. Frankly, he was afraid of what they might hear from Masen, but he knew if he objected he could kiss any chance he had here goodbye. "No, go ahead," he said with more confidence than he felt.

"All right, we'll see you tomorrow morning," Rosalie said, offering Edward her hand. With a twinkle in her eye, she smiled as they shook. "Oh, and you can leave the Prada at home."

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><p><strong>The real world can be awfully tough as Edward's starting to learn. I wonder what'll happen when he and Bella finally cross paths in the next chapter, hmmmm?<strong>

**I have been absolutely floored by the response to this story so far, and would love to hear your thoughts! If there was anything in this chapter that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration, please let me know by clicking the "Review this Chapter" link below. **

**Thanks so much for taking the time to read and (hopefully) review!**

**~GM**


	4. Chapter 4

**I still don't own Twilight! But I am the proud owner of a new puppy named Percy Robert. Yeah, my ten-year old son came up with the middle name. I think he was brown-nosing big time. It totally worked ;)**

**I have the best betas in the world – you should be jealous, really. ScottishRose1028 and pixiekat7 are da bombs! And my pre-reading team is freaking amazing: thanks to OneBraveLamb, BilliCullen, CullenCrazy01, and AtHomeJo (who brings me turtle cheesecake!) for feedback and ideas – this chapter needed both!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

_Longest__…__week__…__EVER!_ Bella thought as she checked her watch. Ten more minutes until she could cash out and pick up Hailey from Jasper. She was glad that midterms would be over next week and she could go back to her usual studying-until-midnight schedule, instead of the crazy hours she'd been forced to adopt so far this semester. She stretched, raising her arms over her head and twisting her back, ready for a nice, warm shower and a soft, cozy bed. She checked her watch again—_nine__minutes!_

"Bella, I know you're getting ready to leave, but Jessica called. Her car's broken down and she can't get a ride for another hour. Would you mind staying until she gets here?" Tanya's smile was apologetic but hopeful.

Bella felt her heart sink as her eyes swept the boisterous Friday night crowd. Despite her exhaustion, she knew she couldn't disappoint Tanya. "Sure thing, Tan. Let me make a quick phone call, okay?"

Tanya slung her arm around Bella's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "You're a life saver, sweetheart."

Bella rolled her eyes comically as she pulled out her cell phone. She tried to find a quiet corner to make her call, but instead had to settle for plugging one ear and turning up the volume.

"Hey Bella, we're just packing up Hailey's stuff. What's up?" Jasper's smooth voice came over the line.

"I'm really sorry, Jasper, but I'm wondering if you can keep Hailey for another hour or two? We're pretty jammed up at the bar and Jessica's going to be late, so Tanya wants to know if I can stay." Bella really hated asking for such a favor, especially when it had been two days since she'd seen her daughter, but her choices were few and far between when it came to the care she trusted for Hailey.

"It's not a problem for me, just let me clear it with Alice first, okay?" Jasper asked.

Bella groaned internally and waited for what she knew would happen next. "Bella, what's this about you not being able to take Hailey back tonight?" Alice's shrill voice made Bella move the phone away from her ear.

"I am most certainly taking Hailey back tonight, Alice," Bella said patiently, biting her tongue against the response she really wanted to voice and angrier than ever that Jasper allowed Alice to constantly interfere. "I just wanted to know if Jasper can keep her for a little while longer, until I get off work."

"You know Bella, we're getting a little tired of you taking advantage of Jasper every time you have plans," Alice said. Bella could hear Jasper protesting in the background, but Alice continued. "What if we had plans we couldn't change this evening? But you never think of that, do you? You never think of anyone's needs except your own."

"Alice, put Jasper back on the phone," Bella demanded through gritted teeth.

"Bella, I really think…" Alice began, but Bella cut her off.

"I don't _care _what you think right now, Alice. Please let me speak with Hailey's father."

Bella heard Alice complain to Jasper about her ruining their evening as she handed the phone over and she ground her teeth together again at Jasper's apology and soothing tone to Alice.

His voice was almost as apologetic when he spoke to Bella. "We can keep Hailey, it's not a problem," he said. "We don't really have any plans that can't wait for a couple of hours."

Bella felt her anger slowly turn to guilt. "Sorry, Jasper," she said softly, hating to cause him any strife.

"It's okay, Bella. I certainly don't mind a couple more hours with Hailey. Just send me a text when you're ready and we'll meet up, okay?"

"Sure, and thanks," Bella said, ending the call. She sighed heavily, wishing that just for once she and Jasper could work things out themselves rather than having Alice weigh in on each and every decision they made.

Tanya sent her a sympathetic smile. "That evil pixie giving you grief again?" she asked. There was no love lost between Alice and Tanya and Tanya was often openly critical of Alice's interference.

Bella shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to speak ill of Alice. "Doesn't matter. I'm good until Jess gets here, anyway."

"Thanks, sweetie. A group of your regulars just came in and they've got some hot new man meat with them," Tanya said with an eyebrow wiggle. "C'mon Bella, prove to me you aren't dead and go flirt with someone!"

"I'd rather _be_ dead," Bella groaned.

Tanya laughed. "Don't make me go out there and flirt with him. I don't want to scare the pretty boy away."

"You better not be flirting with any pretty boys, wife!" James commented, coming up behind the two of them and sliding his tattooed arms around Tanya's waist.

"I'm saving all the pretty boys for Bella here," Tanya assured him, turning her head to press a kiss to his cheek.

"I'm not sure I like the idea of Bella flirting with pretty boys any better," James growled, his eyes narrowing.

Bella smiled at his paternal concern. "Don't worry, James, I know better. No pretty boys for me, or any boys for that matter; not when I'm so close to finishing school."

"I always knew you were a smart girl," he replied with a satisfied grin. "Hey, I think I made too much stew for the crowd tonight and it's not on the menu for tomorrow. I've got a container in the back set aside for you, okay? Don't want it to go to waste."

"Sure," Bella said softly, standing on tiptoe to press a kiss to his other cheek. "Thanks for taking care of us."

James shook his head but was unable to hide his blush from Bella's observant gaze. "Don't know what you're talking about," he said gruffly. "Go take care of your tables, girl."

"Sir, yes sir!" Bella said with mock salute, which made James laugh as she'd intended. She grabbed her notepad and headed back out to her tables. She checked back with all the customers that had already been there before heading to the new table, joking that they were stuck with her for just a little while longer. She grabbed empty bottles and glasses and took them behind the bar as she related the drink orders to Tanya.

When she was done delivering the drinks, she approached a table near the billiards area. A familiar blonde amongst the otherwise all-male group brought a genuine smile to Bella's lips. "Slumming tonight, Rosalie?" Bella teased, bumping her arm against Rosalie's shoulder.

"Bella, so good to see you!" Rosalie exclaimed, turning around and smiling hugely. "When Emmett asked where we should go tonight, I told him it had been too long since we were here."

"Well it's good to see you, too," Bella agreed. "Hey Em, Jake, Riley, Quil," she said, nodding to the familiar faces around the table and then looking from Rosalie to the unfamiliar man and back to Rosalie again.

"Oh hey, this is our new guy, just started this week. Edward, Bella," Rosalie said, gesturing between the two of them.

The new guy was definitely the 'hot man meat' Tanya had been talking about. Even sitting down, Bella could tell that he was quite tall with a lean but muscular build beneath his denim work shirt, stained white tee and worn jeans. His hair was a riot of colors ranging from brown to red to wisps of blonde, looking as though he'd spent hours in a salon perfecting the highlights. She watched as he raised one long-fingered hand to his hair and ran it through the tousled waves in an unconsciously graceful gesture. His eyes were a lush shade of green, visible even in the low bar light and set beneath well-defined brows a shade darker than the brown in his hair. He had runway model good looks with smooth, full lips, a chiseled jaw, high cheekbones and a flawless nose. For the first time in a long time, Bella felt the sharp sting of physical attraction to this stranger.

She noticed the corner of his pretty lips curl up in a lopsided smirk, as though he could read her thoughts and knew she found him attractive. Suddenly he didn't seem quite so appealing with the smug look on his face. Bella frowned slightly and turned away without greeting him. She knew she was being rude, but couldn't find it in herself to care as she distanced herself from him. Guys like this one were never anything but trouble.

"So what can I get for everyone?" Bella asked, her smile back in place.

**...**

Edward watched the waitress while she took the orders of the people around the table. The light in the bar was low, but he could tell she was young like them, with long, dark hair that was fastened in a practical ponytail at the nape of her neck. She was short and appeared to be a little on the thin side, although her boxy shirt and loose jeans hid any figure she may have had. He assumed she didn't really have one or she'd be working it for tips in a place like this. Her skin was pale and she appeared to have dark circles under her eyes which he supposed he could be a trick of the poor lighting. Her eyes, framed by thick lashes, were large and dark, easily the most striking feature of her gamine face. Those eyes had appeared friendly when their gazes first met, but had turned hard as soon as he gave her one of his signature grins. But now she was all smiles and laughter with the others at the table. He must have imagined her coldness towards him.

"What about you, new guy?" Bella queried, forcing herself to look back at him.

Before Edward could speak, Emmett chuckled and slapped him on the shoulder. "You gonna order a beer like a normal guy, or do you want something snooty and pretentious like a Harvey Wallbanger or some rare wine?"

"Just bring me a draft, whatever you've got on tap," Edward said with a scowl, feeling the tips of his ears burning in embarrassment at Emmett's jibe. He'd never had this kind of difficulty in college fitting in with his peers, but he'd spent the last two days taking shit from all of them about everything from his wardrobe to his mannerisms to the way he spoke. He was getting plenty fed up at the ribbing and wondered who he'd have to kill to get them to like him.

The job itself was fucking exhausting. He wasn't a stranger to hard work; his college years hadn't exactly been a cakewalk. In addition to the demanding rigors of his dual degree, he'd rowed all four years at Dartmouth and as part of his training he'd been required to work out regularly. He'd kept up with his workouts when he got home, enjoying the benefits of the exclusive country club to which the Cullens belonged and he'd considered himself to be in fairly good shape. He was learning, however, that working out and doing this kind of manual labor were two completely different things. He was using muscles he hadn't realized he had, muscles that hadn't been worked this hard since the last time he'd worked construction.

But working construction for Masen had been different, too. There he'd been the supervising foreman's son and had been able to pick and choose what he wanted to do, what he wanted to learn. Here, he truly was the sorksite grunt Emmett had described. He'd spent the day yesterday in a sweltering hot, almost ventless attic, installing fiberglass insulation, dressed in a thin, short-sleeved tee shirt. It had taken three showers to get rid of the clinging fibers that made him itch like crazy. Today had been more tolerable, although it was still incredibly uncomfortable work helping to frame out a kitchen. He'd spent his entire day bent over at odd angles as he constructed the support for the base cabinets. His back, shoulders, knees and hips were killing him, but he'd be damned if he'd let these people know that.

He watched the waitress as she walked away. Damn, she really was a wisp of a thing, something that could easily blow away in a stiff breeze. How the hell was she going to manage with their orders? He watched as she laughed with the bartender and filled her tray with drinks.

"So new guy, you didn't completely suck today. Where'd you say you worked before?" asked a voice from across the table.

Edward turned his attention back to his companions. "Uh, Masen Construction," he said distractedly. "I also did some volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity in college."

"Ah, a college boy. Why am I not surprised?" sneered Riley, who had been the least welcoming of the crew. He'd annoyed Edward repeatedly over the last two days and it had been hard to keep his mouth shut at his taunts.

"Riley, cut the new guy some slack," said Jacob Black, the one who had been in charge on the site today and who'd asked the question about where he'd worked before. "Like I said, you didn't suck. Obviously Masen does a good job of teaching the basics."

"Uh, yeah, they were a good company to work for, although I'm learning a lot here at Hale & McCarty," Edward replied, grateful for the distraction when the waitress returned with their drinks. She was a lot stronger than she appeared, hauling the tray loaded down with drinks. A part of him wanted to jump up and take the heavy burden from her, but he was tired of being laughed at for the way he acted. Instead he grabbed the beer she handed him and took a long swallow, trying not to grimace at the taste, but Emmett saw it and laughed anyway.

"Like Black said, you did okay today. Not to mention you did that insulation job yesterday without complaint," Emmett commented, taking a deep drink of his beer before setting it on the scarred table.

"Emmett McCarty! You did not make him insulate in that heat yesterday!" Rosalie cried, smacking Emmett's shoulder. "No one wanted to do that job!"

"Work site grunt," Emmett reminded her, gesturing to Edward with a thumb. "He does the jobs no one else wants to do. I think I made that pretty clear when he interviewed, didn't I?"

"Yeah and it wasn't a problem," Edward lied, his skin starting to itch even now at the memory. "Think I might be able to stick around for a while?" he asked, trying not to sound as desperate for the job as he felt.

Rosalie and Emmett exchanged a look which Edward didn't miss and his nervousness grew. "So what's your story anyway, Cullen?" Rosalie asked. "You spent all that time at Masen and you've been to college, so how come you're here with _us_? I get the impression this isn't exactly your regular scene."

Edward took another long drink of his beer as his mind raced, trying to put together enough half-truths to make a plausible story. He didn't want anyone that deeply involved in his personal business. "Well when I got laid off from Masen, my folks kicked me out, so this is now 'my scene'. I'm staying at a hotel downtown but looking for something more permanent. Anyone know of a good, cheap place to stay? Somewhere close?" he asked, trying to divert the subject.

Bella felt a twinge of sympathy when she overheard him say that his parents had kicked him out. What kind of cruel people could do that to their child, especially when he'd just lost his job? She wiped down the table next to them, continuing to eavesdrop as their conversation went on.

"There are some nice places nearby if you've got a good credit score, references, that kind of thing," Quil offered.

"Shit," Edward muttered, rubbing his hand over his face in frustration. He really needed to get out of the hotel before he used up his entire savings, but no way in hell he was going to qualify for a lease. Why did being on his own have to be so fucking difficult?

"Hey Bells, that apartment below yours still vacant?" Jacob called out to the waitress.

"Um, I think so? I haven't seen anyone coming or going," she answered uncertainly, her eyes darting to Edward and away again before he could catch her looking. "What's the matter, Vanessa kick you out?" she teased Jacob to cover the fact that she'd been listening in on their conversation.

"Ness and I are just fine, thanks," Jacob answered with an odd look at Bella. She knew better than most just how good his relationship was with his girlfriend—after all, she had introduced the two of them and the two women went to nursing school together. "Cullen here's looking for someplace cheap nearby and I remembered Ness saying that creep that lived downstairs from you finally moved out."

Bella flushed a bit when Jacob called her apartment cheap, although she couldn't exactly argue with the truth. She and Jasper had fought about it when Hailey was born, but it was all she could afford at the time and it was in a safe location. All too often the true price of 'inexpensive' was a lack of safety, so this combination was priceless to Bella, especially where her daughter was concerned. And despite the attentions of that creepy neighbor who used to be a little too friendly with Bella, she liked her landlord, who understood and looked the other way when the rent was sometimes a couple of days late.

Bella realized that both Jake and the new guy were staring at her, as if waiting for an answer. "Uh, I can give you the name of my landlord?" she asked rather than said.

Edward shrugged his shoulders and cast a look at Emmett and Rosalie. "I'd appreciate it, but there's not much point in looking for a place to live when I don't really have a job."

"Keep working hard and you've got a job with us as long as we've got the work," Emmett told him, holding out his hand to Edward.

Edward accepted the handshake, surprised by the weight that lifted off his shoulders at Emmett's words. "Thanks, man. You won't regret it."

"We'd better not," Rosalie said, smiling but narrowing her eyes at him in a manner that made Edward feel like he was under a microscope.

Bella was relieved when she spotted Jessica coming in through the front door. She turned back to the table. "Hey guys, my replacement just arrived, so I'm outta here. Jess will be taking over your table."

"Let us cash out so you can get your tips, Bella. We'll start a new tab with Jess," Rosalie offered, for which Bella was grateful. She pulled the check off her pad and set it on the table, watching out of the corner of her eye as the new guy grabbed the bill over Emmett's and Jacob's protests.

"I've got this round, as a thank you for taking a chance on me," he said, handing Bella his debit card. It made him more than a little nervous to pick up the tab, knowing it was probably higher than the joke of a paycheck he was going to get, but he felt like he needed to do something to worm his way into everyone's good graces.

"Damn, if I'd known it was going to be on you, _I_ would have ordered a rare wine," Emmett joked.

Edward watched Bella walk back to the bar and lean over the counter to swipe his card, her faded, baggy jeans tightening across her ass. He felt an answering tug in his groin and wondered when he'd started to be attracted to plain little waitresses at the corner bar. It had obviously been too long since he'd gotten laid. He wondered what kind of benefits could _arise_ from having this girl as his neighbor.

He left the table on the pretext of finding the restroom, approaching Bella where she stood talking with a cute, curly-haired waitress. "Excuse me, Bella, right? I was hoping I get the name and number of your landlord, and the apartment address before you leave?"

Bella smiled at him and he was surprised by how her smile transformed her face from plain to pretty. His dick definitely took notice of her plump pink lips as he envisioned her on her knees before him, her mouth servicing him as he gripped that ponytail of hers.

"Sure, I'll put it on your copy of the credit card slip," she offered, handing the folder to him. She wrote down the apartment building information and watched as he signed his name with a flourish; she had been pleasantly surprised when he'd picked up the round for his new friends and internally chastised herself for initially thinking the worst of him.

Edward made sure to run his fingers over the back of her hand when they exchanged paperwork, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin beneath his fingertips. He gave her his best panty-dropping grin and said in a low, husky voice, "And maybe I could have your number too, beautiful? You know, in case I need to borrow a cup of sugar...or _something_?"

Bella tried not to react to the tingle she felt at his touch when she heard his flirtatious tone and practiced line. New guy may have been nice to look at but she could recognize a player when she encountered one. She had been right all along, but she knew how to play his games. She opened her eyes wide and batted her eyelashes at him. "Sure thing. You can call this number any time you need…_something_," she said in a breathy voice, taking the slip of paper back and scribbling something else across the bottom, then folding it and reaching out to tuck it in the front pocket of his work shirt.

He watched as she turned and bid farewell to the bartender and then grabbed her purse and a bag off the bar and made for the door, accompanied by an older, heavily tattooed guy. She turned at the door and made eye contact with him, holding her hand up to her face, pinky and thumb extended in the universal 'call me' sign.

Edward winked at her in response and grinned triumphantly as he returned to the table.

"You get her number?" Jacob asked curiously.

"Yep. I think our little waitress has the hots for me," Edward said smugly, reaching in his pocket and pulling the paper out, waving it in front of them.

"Let's see that," Rosalie said, grabbing it from his outstretched hand.

Edward sat back and put his hands behind his head. He had a job, a lead on an apartment and the phone number for a willing girl; yeah, things were definitely looking up in his world. He watched as Rosalie opened the paper and was confused when she started giggling hysterically. "Oh yeah, Cullen. She's got it _bad_."

She passed the paper to Emmett, who snorted into his beer as he read it, before passing it along. Edward finally leaned forward and grabbed the slip from Jacob, who was laughing so hard he nearly fell off his chair.

He flipped the paper over. In neat cursive, the waitress had written "Here you go, New Guy: 1-206-FUCK-OFF."

* * *

><p><strong>So, I promised you a meeting, and a meeting is what you got. Thoughts? Opinions? I'd love to hear them all! If there was anything in this chapter that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration, please send me a review &amp; let me know. I'll do my best to answer you! Just remember if you've got PMs disabled, I can't respond – I had three reviews last chapter to which I couldn't respond :(<strong>

**Thanks so much for taking the time to read!**

**~GM**


	5. Chapter 5

**Twilight-still owned by Stephenie Meyer, not by me...although Twilight kinda owns me, actually. Even after all this time, the love is still strong ;)**

**I am also COMPLETELY owned by my beta/pre-reading team, who has put up with a LOT from me with this chapter! Thank you ScottishRose1028 and pixiekat7 for basically betaing this chappie twice. Love goes out to AtHome Jo (who seriously made this chapter so much better), CullenCrazy01, BilliCullen, and OneBraveLamb for putting up with my insane emails :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

"Yeah, so this is the living room, and over there you've got the kitchen, and in the back you've got the bathroom and the bedroom," the middle-aged man rambled as he waved his arms in various directions, all the while Edward tried not to look horrified at the postage stamp-sized apartment.

After the slap-down from the waitress, he'd been too embarrassed to look at the vacancy in her apartment building. However, after spending several dead-end days trying to hunt down an apartment that was both within his price range and on the bus line, he knew he had little choice but to check out her building. Especially after his second full week at the Fairmont Olympic, which cost him another substantial chunk of his savings despite the downsized room. He needed to move and he needed to do it as soon as possible.

He'd had no idea how expensive it was to rent in Seattle, especially near the downtown area. A decent-sized, one-bedroom apartment would take pretty much all of his wages, and that wasn't even factoring in utilities. Less expensive apartments could be had further out; however, the cost of transportation added up quickly. When he considered the fact that he didn't want to spend hours every day on the bus, he'd reluctantly made the appointment to view the apartment in her building.

The building itself piqued his interest on an architectural level. It had obviously been a large family home at one time and was now sectioned into apartments. There were a total of six units, all of which had a different design depending on where they were in the building. The unit Edward was viewing was on the ground floor, facing the street with a couple of windows on the left that gave it some natural light.

But seriously, the apartment he was standing in was smaller than his current hotel room. It was "partially furnished," meaning that the main living area had a clean but worn couch and chair, two small tables with lamps, and a tiny dining set with mismatched chairs just outside the galley-style kitchen. The bathroom had obviously been added to the original floor plan; it was so small that the door to the single-stall shower banged against the toilet when he opened it.

The bedroom was half the width of the living room and probably smaller than the king-sized bed he slept on at the Fairmont. The narrow room held a bed frame that was no larger than a double and had no mattress and chest of drawers with another mismatched lamp. The closet was smaller than the amoire he'd had at school. The only redeeming feature of the bedroom was a bay window that looked out over the street, providing weak light from the late afternoon sunshine.

"So whaddaya think?" asked the landlord, Tyler something-or-other.

"What utilities are included and how many square feet is this place?" Edward asked, standing in the middle of the bedroom. He was pretty sure if he stretched his arms and extended his fingers, he would be able to touch the walls without moving from side to side.

"Just about six hundred square feet," Tyler answered with a shrug. "Water's included, there's a dumpster outside for trash and a coin-operated laundry in the basement. You're responsible for electric, gas, cable, phone and internet if you want them. I need first and last month's rent as a deposit and rent's due the first of the month, no exceptions. A late fee gets charged on the fifth and if you're not paid by the fifteenth, you're outta here."

Edward's head was swimming as he quickly calculated how much this was going to run him. Yes, he still had money in the bank, but it was disappearing faster than he ever realized it could. He felt the anger at his parents flare once again, tamping it down when he caught the landlord staring at him. "So, whaddaya think?" Tyler repeated.

Edward wasn't about to tell him what he _really_ thought. "It's a great place," he lied through his teeth. "How soon can I move in?"

"The apartment's available now, but I'll need you to fill out an application and run a criminal history and background check."

"Background check? Really?" Edward asked, surprised.

Tyler nodded emphatically. "We're pretty close to some bad parts of town and our rent is really reasonable, so we gotta take precautions. We've got women and kids here; can't have no pedophiles or trouble-makers living here. You're not either one, right?" he asked, suddenly eyeing Edward with suspicion.

"Nope, clean as a whistle," Edward answered. He felt suddenly nauseous when he remembered his arrest a couple of weeks ago and said a frantic prayer that the restaurant had dropped the charges. "How about we do some of that paperwork?"

He spent the next twenty minutes in the office on the first floor, filling out forms and providing copies of his license and paycheck stub from Hale & McCarty. When he'd signed his name for the final time, Tyler told him he'd let him know within twenty-four hours whether he'd been approved.

"Thanks again, man," Edward said as Tyler walked him to the front entrance. He set off walking toward the end of the block and the bus stop, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he hunched against the cold wind that whipped down the street.

He supposed it wasn't a bad neighborhood and it would certainly be more convenient—and much less costly—than the hotel. But for Christ's sake, he'd never lived in anything so small in his entire life. The dorm rooms at Dartmouth were easily twice the size, and ten times more luxurious than this hole-in-the-wall. How did people _live_ like this? And Tyler said that women and children lived in the building? Ugh, he hoped to God these were the kind of kids that were seen but not heard. He'd had one or two classmates at college that had children, but he'd always avoided those guys. Kids really weren't his thing.

But beggars couldn't be choosers and since his parents had virtually turned him into a beggar with their decision to cast him aside, he would have to make do with the limited choices he had.

**. . .**

Bella juggled her purse and the three bags of groceries in her arms as she reached the door of her building, cursing under her breath as she tried to find her keys in the bottomless pit of her bag. One of the heaviest grocery bags started to tip from her arms and tear along the seam and Bella lurched sideways, trying to catch it before it collided with the ground.

"Oh shit! Hold on, let me get that for you," a deep male voice exclaimed. She heard the pounding of his feet against the wooden stairs as he rushed up behind her, righting the bag and lifting it from her arms. Bella sighed in relief and looked up to thank the savior of her groceries and was momentarily stunned to meet the equally surprised green gaze of Edward Cullen.

Jesus, he was even prettier in the light of day. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a grayish-black tee shirt beneath a zip-up hoodie. His jaw was covered with scruff and his hair was wild and windblown, making it look as though he'd just tumbled out of bed. She was jolted and disconcerted once again by the attraction she felt to him, especially when she remembered what a jerk he'd been that night at the bar.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out, realizing after-the-fact how rude her question sounded.

"Uh, I kinda live here now?" he said in a questioning tone of voice, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously with his free hand. "You did give me the name and number of the landlord," he reminded her.

"Oh yeah, right," she answered lamely. "Well, thanks for catching that bag for me," she said, holding her arm out to take it from him.

"Your hands are pretty full, I could carry this for you," he offered, gesturing to the staircase.

"No, I've got it," she said, thinking of the current state of her apartment and unwilling to allow anyone to see it.

Edward sighed. "Look, I'm not trying anything here. You don't like me—I got that message loud and clear, and I'm sorry I was a jerk to you before. I just saw you struggling and even I'm not that much of an asshole to let you drop your stuff," he said gruffly, his jaw set and his eyes downcast.

Bella felt a flash of guilt at his expression and words. Yeah, he _had_ been an asshole at the bar, but he could have easily walked on by instead of helping her today. "Perhaps we can start again. Hi, my name is Bella Swan, and I live in 2B upstairs. Welcome to the neighborhood," she offered, juggling the items in her arms to hold her hand out toward Edward.

Edward stared at her proffered fingers. "Uh, Bella? You do remember we met a couple of weeks ago, at the bar, right?"

Bella nodded and smiled tentatively, thrusting her hand out a little further. "Yeah, I remember. I think…no, I _know_ we got off on the wrong foot and I apologize for my part in that. So, we're meeting for the first time here, as neighbors, right?"

Edward stared at her fingers for just a moment before wrapping them in his own. Her hand was warm and smooth where he grasped it. "Right. Edward Cullen, 1B. Nice to meet you, Bella," he said with a genuine smile. "This is a great location," he said as sincerely as he could, not wanting to diss the actual apartments since she lived here as well.

"Yeah, it has its advantages. On the bus line, there's a grocery store down the block and a coffee house on the corner," Bella rambled, trying to ignore the way his smile made her spine tingle and his touch warmed her skin.

"Bella, this is Seattle. There's a coffee house on _every_ corner," Edward deadpanned.

Bella laughed. "Good point."

"As a matter of fact, I was just headed out to grab some coffee. Would you like to join me?" he asked impulsively.

Bella hesitated, thinking of the ridiculous amount of studying she had to do. It was Jasper's every-other-weekend with Hailey and Bella had been planning to hit the books hard in the rare quiet of her apartment.

Edward took her silence to mean her refusal and he sighed internally, reaching up and running his fingers through his hair. "Sorry, never mind," he said in a defeated tone of voice.

He sounded so lonely and lost that Bella instantly changed her mind. "Edward, coffee sounds nice. Give me ten minutes to put my groceries away and I'll meet you back down here?" she suggested.

Edward looked back up at her and couldn't help but smile. "Ten minutes, okay. Are you sure you don't want me to carry this for you?" he asked, hefting the bag.

Bella bit her lip indecisively, looking at the stairs and then back at the bag Edward held, which she realized carried the heaviest of her groceries. She hated relying on others for their help, but she supposed that in the grand scheme of things, this wasn't exactly a big deal. "That would be great," she admitted.

"Lead the way," Edward said, sweeping a hand toward the staircase. He tried not to stare as she walked the stairs before him, but having her ass on the same level as his eyes made that damn near impossible. She was wearing a pair of those stretchy pants that women exercised in and he realized that the figure he assumed she didn't have at the bar was actually a very nice one indeed.

Before she could struggle with the bags again, he took a second one from her so she could grab her keys from her purse and unlock her door. He could almost feel her indecisiveness about inviting him in, so he handed her the two bags once she had the door unlocked and just barely open. "Sorry, it's just a huge mess," she said sheepishly.

He shrugged his shoulders despite the rampant curiosity he had about her living space. "Downstairs in ten?" he asked.

"Downstairs in ten," she agreed, waiting until he was at the stairway before going into her apartment. She quickly shut the door behind her, glad that he hadn't seen the deplorable state of her apartment, which looked like it had been hit by a tornado; a small but powerful tornado named Hailey. Bella put away the groceries and debated changing her clothes, but decided she was far too comfortable to bother; besides, it's not like she was going on a date or anything.

Edward was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and Bella felt her heart flutter just a little when he looked up and smiled at her. _Thought__this__wasn__'__t__a__date_? she chastised herself. They walked side by side in companionable silence to the nearby coffee shop, the noise at street level a little too loud to carry on any meaningful conversation.

Edward held the door open for Bella, once again enjoying the view as she walked in front of him. He liked her hair much better today, loose and wavy around her shoulders instead of pulled back into a ponytail the way she had at the bar. He also liked the way she ordered her coffee; just plain, strong, caffeinated coffee. No fancy flavors, no complicated, low-fat, soy bullshit. She added some creamer and a couple of sugars and sipped it with a genuine smile of pleasure.

Rather than taking one of the more popular seats on the plush couches in the high-traffic areas, Edward steered them toward a quiet table away from the foot traffic. "So, how long have you been waitressing at Eclipse?" he asked, starting with the most obvious thing he knew about her.

"Oh a couple of years. James and Tanya, they own the place, they're just great. I love working there," Bella said earnestly.

He recalled she was good at her job, but he didn't picture her as a long-term waitress. "You seem like a smart girl. Ever thought of doing something other than waitressing?" Edward asked.

Bella bristled at his presumptive tone. "Sure, I've got real big plans, Edward. I'm working to earn enough in tips to get a boob job and get in at the strip joint a couple blocks over," she snarked, taking another sip of her coffee and arching an eyebrow at him.

"God, I sound like such a pretentious asshole," Edward muttered, palming his face and shaking his head in disgust. "Is this where you tell me to fuck off again?"

"Should I?" Bella asked lightly. "Because if you're going to keep being such a pretentious asshole, I've got better things to do with my time."

"I wouldn't blame you if you threw your coffee in my face and stormed out of here," he admitted.

"I won't do that," Bella disagreed. "I'm enjoying this coffee way too much."

Edward laughed, amused as hell by her quick wit. "So instead of me making stupid assumptions, why don't you tell me about Bella Swan's big plans?"

"Well, I'm in my final year at University of Washington. If all goes as planned, I should have my Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the end of the spring term. So while I do enjoy my time at Eclipse, I'm afraid my days as a bar waitress are numbered."

"Nursing? Wow, that's a tough field. I'll bet you're good," Edward surmised.

"Flattery, Cullen?" Bella teased.

"Damn straight," he joked.

"Well, U of W does have the best nursing program in the country," she said with a shrug, taking another sip of her coffee. "And the toughest. I spend most of my time studying, which is the reason I hesitated when you asked me to come with you. I just got done with midterms, but I'm still working on my honors thesis and trying to keep up on everything so I don't get slammed at the end of the semester. But I get incredibly bored talking about myself. Tell me about Edward Cullen. I mean, maybe I'm being the pretentious asshole this time, but you don't really seem the construction work type," she observed.

"Well my formal schooling is in architecture, but most places want experienced architects and not rookies like me. But I have worked construction before and I was lucky enough in this economy that Emmett and Rosalie were willing to take a chance on me," Edward replied.

"Emmett and Rose are good people," Bella agreed.

"Yeah, I can't believe Rosalie agreed to give me the job after I screwed up the interview," Edward muttered.

"Oh no, what did you do?" Bella asked.

"Oh not much," he said with a grin that looked slightly embarrassed. "I just asked to see _Mister_ Hale. Oh, and I called her Blondie."

"Holy shit, and you lived to tell about it? Do you still have your balls?"

Edward shuddered, his hand moving reflexively towards his crotch. "Probably only because Emmett walked into the room. Lucky for me, Rosalie accepted my groveling at face value and they offered me a trial period. I've worked very hard not to piss her off since, and they've had steady work for me. This is actually one of my first days off."

"When did you move in? I don't remember seeing a moving truck," Bella commented, surprised that she hadn't noticed him taking up residence in the building. But then again, her schedule had been so messed up the past few weeks she hadn't noticed much of anything outside her own little world.

"Early last week. It was just me and my duffel bags; I don't have much. My mattress was delivered a couple of days ago so I'm not sleeping on that shitty couch any more, which is like a dream. I still have to get some stuff for the kitchen, some pots and pans, dishes, silverware, but I'm managing with take out and paper plates for right now," he rambled, and Bella felt a twinge of sympathy.

"There's a resale shop a couple of blocks away that usually has some pretty decent stuff for a reasonable price," Bella suggested, naming a store a few streets over he'd seen before. "I've picked up several things for my apartment there."

"Thanks. When my folks kicked me out, they told me I could take my clothes but really nothing else, so I don't really have what I need for an apartment," Edward said, staring down into his coffee, his eyes sad and his mouth turned down.

The twinge of sympathy Bella felt grew to a full-fledged heartache. Charlie had never earned much as a small-town sheriff, but he'd helped her as much as he could when she'd moved out on her own. "They kicked you out?" she asked softly, reaching over and touching his hand before she'd even realized what she'd done.

Edward looked up at her touch, his eyes wide with surprise. "Yeah, I lost my job and they told me to leave, said I wasn't 'living up to my potential' and it was time to 'find myself'," he muttered angrily.

"Edward, that's terrible! How could they do that to you?" Bella gasped, appalled by these new details. Despite her initial impression of Edward and the way he occasionally acted, she didn't understand how his parents could simply cast him aside that way.

"I don't know," he said, reaching up and running his free hand through his hair. "Look, can we talk about something else?" he asked gruffly, surprised by uncomfortable he felt under her compassionate gaze. What _was_ comfortable, and a little exciting, was the way her hand felt on top of his, warm as it lingered, her fingertips soft as they stroked over the top of his hand. He found himself wanting to turn his hand over and lace his fingers with hers, something he hadn't wanted to do with a girl since high school.

Before he could act on the impulse, Bella pulled her hand back to cup both around her coffee as if warming them, looking down at the table as a blush colored her cheeks. It was hard to reconcile the sweet, self-conscious man before her with the suave, sophisticated dickhead he'd been at the bar.

Edward took over the conversation and launched into a series of questions. He learned she was twenty-three, about nine months older than he, and she was the only child of divorced parents. Her mother lived in Florida and was remarried, while Bella had grown up in Washington State with her father, who was the police chief in a tiny little town about three hours Southwest of Seattle. She'd attended community college in Port Angeles for two years, before moving to Seattle about three years ago. He tried to think of a way to subtly inquire as to whether she was seeing anyone, but he couldn't figure out how to do so without being obvious.

Bella asked just as many questions in return. She learned that he was an only child as well, and that he had no extended family either. She tactfully steered away from questions regarding his parents, remembering his discomfort when the topic had arisen before. He'd grown up here in Seattle and this was the first time he'd lived on his own, except for college on the "out East". He didn't really have any friends from either high school or college with whom he'd stayed in contact. She felt her heart breaking for him when she realized he didn't really have anyone in his life.

She had no idea how long they'd been talking, now comparing movies, books and music they enjoyed, but her coffee was gone and her face hurt from smiling so much. She tried to surreptitiously check the watch on her wrist, frowning as she did so when she realized she needed to get to the campus library before it was closed.

"You need to go," Edward stated flatly, noting her preoccupation. _Figures_, he thought, feeling an irrational anger build, not at her but at himself. The first person he'd felt a real connection with in weeks couldn't wait to get away from him. _I__shoulda__known._

"I can stay for a few minutes longer," she said softly, confused by his abrupt change in demeanor. She had been enjoying their conversation and time together and really didn't want to leave. She opened her mouth to tell him just that when he waved his hand dismissively and spoke.

"Nah, I'm gonna go check out that store, see if I can find a few things to make my little shithole apartment feel more like home," he commented brusquely, readying himself for yet another afternoon alone.

"Well, I guess I'll head back to my little shithole apartment and get some studying done then," she snapped back, irritated more with herself that she let him get to her and feeling insulted at the way he described their living conditions. She pushed her chair back and grabbed her empty coffee off the table, slinging her purse over her shoulder.

Edward to realize that he'd offended her again and quickly scrambled to his feet. "Bella, I'm…"

"Being an asshole again, yeah Edward," she said dismissively, raising her middle finger at him as she turned to head for the door. "Let me know if you wanna have coffee again. You've got my number."

* * *

><p><strong>Hmm, how do we think Edward is coping in the "real" world? And is Bella being too hard on him, or does he deserve it? I want to know what you think! If there was anything in this chapter that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration, please send me a review &amp; let me know. I'll do my best to answer you! <strong>

**I don't often make recs, but my amazing pre-reader and friend Onebravelamb has written a one-shot for me. Yes, for me! I squeeeed and I cried and I just love it to bits and pieces, and I think that everyone else needs to read it and leave her some love. Because seriously, it's beautiful, _almost_ as beautiful as she is :) It's called One Plus One, and you can read it HERE: http : / www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/7513232/1/ (and y'all are smart enough to remove the spaces & replace (dot) with ".")**

**Thanks so much for taking the time to read!**

**~GM**


	6. Chapter 6

**I still don't own Twilight. But I am having quite the Twi-get-together with my girls starting the 17th, and I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT!**

**My betas make me a much better writer than I actually am – thank you for that, pixiekat7 and ScottishRose1028. My pre-reading team is more like a list of the women who mean the most to me – Onebravelamb, CullenCrazy01, BilliCullen, and Athome Jo, can't wait to see three of the four of you at Breaking Dawn Part I. Eight days, ladies!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

"Boss man's on site, everyone look sharp!" Jacob's shout made all the workers pay attention and Edward was no exception. He did a quick review of his area to make sure that nothing was out of place, then continued working on the drywall in the second-floor room to which he'd been assigned.

He was glad to be in a warm, dry location for once. He'd spent the last two weeks learning and continuing to prove himself. He'd worked without complaint… well, okay, _largely_ without complaint, again doing the shit jobs no one else wanted to do. He'd shingled a roof in the rain (damn, he'd been a shriveled prune by the end of those work days), cleaned and re-sealed a basement floor and walls after a raw sewage leak (it had been days before the smell worked its way out of his skin), and taken on yet another fiberglass insulation job which had left him sparkling like a goddamn fairy and itching for two days.

He thought for sure he was going to lose his job last week when, dead tired from the twelve- to fourteen-hour days of hard, physical labor they put in, he'd accidentally used the wrong length screws on the deck he was framing. Jacob had stopped to inspect his work and pointed out the error. It had been a careless mistake on his part and Edward had braced himself for a dressing-down in front of the rest of the crew. However, Jacob merely pointed out his error, showed him where to find the proper-sized screw and told him to re-do what he'd done.

After a month on the job, the rest of the crew seemed to be accepting him, although he wouldn't call any of them friends. Especially Riley. Turns out Riley had been the work site grunt before Edward came along and it seemed to Edward that shit did indeed flow downhill—Riley didn't have anyone to kick except Edward, so he kicked Edward. Or at least tried to. Frequently. Luckily, Jacob told him to clear Riley's orders with him first and it saved Edward from a lot of the bullshit Riley tried to pull.

He could hear Emmett's footfalls as he walked through the building, his voice friendly and his laughter genial when he spoke with the guys downstairs. He continued to work even as he heard the heavy tromp of Emmett's work boots up the stairs.

"Hey Cullen," Emmett said, poking his head through the open door frame and offering a smile. "How goes the job?"

"Dry. Clean. Doesn't smell or itch. Are you sure this job is mine?" Edward joked.

Emmett laughed. "Yep. You've earned your tool belt, Cullen. Jake said you've done a fine job around here. I have to admit, I'm shocked as hell. I didn't figure you'd last more than a couple of days. You've surprised me, Edward. Rosalie too, and that's not easy to do."

Edward shrugged, feeling an unfamiliar tinge of pride at Emmett's words. "I told you I need the job, boss. Just doing what I can to keep it."

"Yeah, but I figured you'd already be back to wherever it is you belong," Emmett replied, raising an eyebrow at Edward. He'd tried a couple of times to get Edward to talk about what had brought him through the doors of Hale & McCarty, but so far Edward hadn't spilled.

"I belong here, finishing this job," he replied.

"Well we're all cutting out a little early tonight. We're all headed to Eclipse for drinks and dinner; join us?" Emmett invited.

Eclipse. _Bella_. Yeah, he didn't really want to have another run-in with her. Well, honestly, he _did_want to have another run-in with her, but definitely not the kind that ended up with him getting told off or flipped off. How did the old saying go? Burn me once, shame on you; burn me twice, shame on me. He wasn't going to put himself out there with her again. He didn't need the embarrassment of having her best him like that, especially in public. He was still trying to live down the phone number incident with the guys on the crew.

With his crazy work hours, he'd managed to avoid her around their building. He'd seen her one evening, trudging home after her late shift at Eclipse, looking beyond exhausted. He wanted so badly to approach her, talk to her, but he really didn't know how.

Bella was different from any other woman he'd known. She was feisty, honest to the point of brutality and had made him laugh like he hadn't in years. He'd enjoyed their time at the coffee shop together immensely and wished he knew how to mend this broken fence.

He realized Emmett was still looking at him, obviously waiting for a response. Edward shook his head. "I appreciate the invite, but not tonight. I'm tired after the long week and I just wanna go home and pass out."

Emmett shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough. You know where we'll be if you change your mind. I think everyone's getting ready to cut out, so you'd better grab your stuff if you need a ride."

Edward remained pissed at his parents that he was still relying on his co-workers and public transportation to get around. His car had been a graduation present; one they apparently hadn't any qualms about taking back. He'd looked at the amount of money he had left in the bank—an appallingly small amount considering what he'd started with—and decided if he could go without a car it would be for the best. He needed to save up his cash. It wasn't like construction grunt pay was lucrative, and he needed some cushion just in case things didn't work out with Hale & McCarty.

Jake dropped Edward at the corner just down from the apartment and Edward found himself facing the shop where he'd shared coffee with Bella. The aroma was just too tempting so he went inside to buy a cup of strong decaf. While waiting to be rung up by the clerk, he noticed a display of gift cards next to the register and an idea formed in his head. He grabbed one and set it down on the counter to be tallied in with his coffee. Operation Un-Piss-Off Bella Swan would begin tomorrow.

**. . .**

Edward woke to a pounding on his door early the next morning. He rolled over and looked at his alarm clock, groaning when he realized it was just after eight. Seriously, who the fuck was knocking this early? Didn't they have any concept of the weekend?

He grabbed a pair of jeans and a wrinkled shirt from the floor and hastily pulled them on. "Keep yer panties on," he muttered under his breath as the pounding started again. He stalked to the door and pulled it open roughly, surprised to find Bella on the other side. She was holding the gift card he'd taped to her door late last night and she had a fierce look on her face.

"What's this supposed to be, Edward?" Bella demanded, shoving the gift card in his face and trying not to notice how appealing he looked obviously fresh out of bed, his hair messy, his jaw scruffy and his face pillow-creased. God, even when he was pissing her off, he made her feel things she'd never felt before, _lustful _things that she had a hard time controlling.

"It's a gift card, Bella," Edward yawned and answered in a _duh_ voice.

"Why thank you, Captain Obvious. I can, in fact, read, and I was able to ascertain that all by myself. I guess the question isn't 'what' so much as it's 'why', as in 'why the hell was this taped to my door last night?'"

_Well, __no __time __like __the __present_, he thought. "Because yesterday was payday and it was the first time I've had the chance to get back to the coffee shop since we were there. Because I was a complete, colossal ass the last time we saw one another and I wanted to make up for that fact, but I don't really know how except to apologize. And because despite the disastrous way it ended, I'm hoping for a repeat of coffee with Bella. Well, at least the part where you weren't calling me a pretentious asshole, flipping me off and storming out of the coffee shop."

Bella couldn't stop the giggle that erupted when she remembered doing just that. "I was kind of awful to you that day, wasn't I?"

"No more than I deserved," Edward said with a grin, caught off-guard by her laughter. She was dressed in jeans, a U of W hoodie and a pair of worn Converse today, her long, dark hair cascading around her shoulders and her face appearing to be makeup-free. She looked more like a high schooler rather than the college co-ed he knew her to be. "So are you going to accept the gift card graciously, or are you going to play stuck-up bitch to my pretentious asshole?"

Bella gasped, choking on her laughter, and reached forward to smack him on the chest. "I may be a bitch, but I'm far from stuck up, I'll have you know. And I have a strict policy of always accepting gift cards that are accompanied by a sincere apology, as yours was. As a matter of fact, I think I'll go grab a cup of coffee before I have to head off to my study group today. Want to join me?"

Edward reached up and ran his fingers through his hair, grimacing at the feel of the wallboard dust he felt there. He had done exactly what he'd told Emmett he intended to do and passed out shortly after dinner last night, only taking time to undress before falling into bed. "I'd love to join you, but I am in desperate need of a shower. You can probably smell me from the hallway," he said, realizing he hadn't invited her in.

"Well, now that you mention it..." Bella said, casually reaching up and plugging her nose, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "How 'bout I go grab both of us a coffee to go while you take care of that stink?"

He didn't want her to spend the gift card on him, but he wasn't about to turn down her offer to spend time with him...and to let him shower. "That sounds fabulous. Give me fifteen minutes?" he asked.

"Sure, see you in a few," she said, tucking the gift card in her pocket.

Edward watched her walk out and once the front door was closed, he turned around in a bit of a blind panic. He needed to shower, definitely, but his apartment was a disaster. He could see dirty laundry in at least three different spots in the main room alone, and boxes and bags from takeout littered the tables in the living room as well as the small dining table.

He took the fastest shower known to man, cursing when he straightened too quickly and banged his head on the shower head as he always did when he forgot about how tiny his shower was. He wrapped one of the three towels he owned around his waist, grabbing dirty clothes as he returned to his room and tossing them in his open duffel bag. He hunted for a clean pair of jeans, shoving aside his dress trousers and silk shirts that had never seen the light of day here. He grabbed the first clean tee shirt he could find and dressed quickly, knowing his time was running out fast.

He grabbed the fast food containers and wrappers, shoving everything he could into the garbage pail, then gathered the clothes in the living room and added them to the duffel bag in his bedroom. He stopped to brush his teeth and hang the towel in the bathroom and cringed when he saw the condition of the tiny room. He used the towel from his shower to wipe down the counter and mirror before tossing that in his bedroom as well.

He was just finishing in the kitchen when he heard Bella's knock on the door again. He rushed forward and swung the door open, the cynical part of him surprised and pleased that she had indeed returned with coffee. She thrust a bag at him, saying, "That shop has great pastries, I couldn't resist," and he took the bag and the tray with two coffees from her.

He realized he was standing in the doorway grinning like an idiot when she looked past him into his apartment, then met his gaze with a raised eyebrow. "So why don't you show me what you've done with your, how'd you put it, 'little shithole apartment'?" Bella asked lightly, sliding her hands into her back pockets as she rolled from her heels to the balls of her feet. Once again, her grin was mischievous. Edward tried not to notice how the pose pushed her chest out.

He stepped to the side and gestured with the bag for her to enter. Her eyes were wide and curious as they swept from side to side, and he was grateful he'd had the chance to straighten up before she came in. "So, this is my place."

"Pretty nice for a shithole," Bella teased, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. She was shocked when she spotted a light blush on his cheeks and decided that it looked good on him..._really _good. Damn, she was in trouble.

"Look, Bella, I'm sorry that I said..."

"No, I'm sorry, Edward. I was just teasing. I know this isn't the greatest apartment building in Seattle. It's not like a room at the Fairmont or anything," she said, her guilt rising when he felt the need to apologize to her yet again. She was being a bitch, more as a defense mechanism to the attraction she felt, but her out-of-control hormones weren't his fault, not really.

He swallowed convulsively at her mention of the Fairmont. "Hey, I like it here just fine," he lied, although he had to admit he _was_ quickly growing fond of having her as a neighbor...now that they were on speaking terms again, that is.

"Hey, your kitchen is bigger than mine," Bella said, grabbing the bag from him and setting it on the counter. She turned around, leaning back against the counter as he passed her one of the coffees.

"For all the good it does me, given that I don't know how to cook. But you will see that the kitchen is now fully outfitted with a rather rare thrift store find of four _matching_ plates, bowls and saucers. The silverware, however, is a hodgepodge of three different sets. I am also the proud owner of a frying pan, a sauce pan, and whatever the hell this one is that the sales clerk told me I absolutely had to have," he said, gesturing to a large pot sitting on the top of the small stove.

"A stockpot? Yes, it's an essential for soup, pasta, sauces."

"Again, I can't cook. I suppose it looks impressive though?" he joked, running his fingers through his hair in that gesture she had begun to recognize as nervousness.

"Oh, absolutely," she agreed pompously. She dug into the bag and pulled out two chocolate croissants. "What do you want me to put these on?" she asked, looking around the kitchen.

Rather than tell her, Edward stepped forward and reached over her shoulder to open the cabinet behind her. He grabbed two plates, enjoying the feel of being this close to her even though he knew he needed to move before he pissed her off again. He placed the pastries on the dishes and set them on the counter, moving to step away.

Bella didn't understand what was going on in her Edward-clouded mind, but she couldn't stop herself. She just _had_ to touch him.

Edward was stunned when Bella reached out and laid her hand on his chest. He froze; transfixed by the feel of her warm hand through the threadbare tee shirt he wore. She very deliberately set her coffee down next to the pastries and placed her other hand on his chest as well, looking up at him from beneath her lashes.

He had no idea what had lowered her inhibitions with him, but the urge to respond was simply overwhelming. He reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand, his fingertips tracing the curve of her cheekbone before delving into the smooth silkiness of her hair. He cradled the back of her head in his palm, encouraging her to tilt her head back as he slowly lowered his face toward hers, his thumb caressing the contours of her cheek.

He tried to remember why he'd ever thought her plain-looking, when she was anything but. Her skin was creamy and pale, with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her lips were full and pouty, a natural, rosy color, free of any artifice, and his breath hitched in his chest when her pink tongue darted out to moisten them. He mimicked her action, the anticipation of tasting her mouth making his suddenly run dry.

At her quiet gasp, their eyes met again. Hers, a warm, chocolaty brown with hints of green and gold glowing from within, were wide with anticipation as their faces grew closer. Her thick lashes fluttered as her eyes darted to his mouth and then back to his gaze again, her eyes dark with what he thought…_hoped_…was longing.

Bella raised her hands to toy with the hair at his collar, smiling when she felt him shiver at her touch. Too impatient to wait any longer, she buried her fingers in those gloriously messy waves and pulled him toward her, her lips already seeking his in welcome.

Edward moaned at the feel of her mouth, her lips soft and supple beneath his as they shared feather-light kisses. He traced the crisp outline of her upper lip with the tip of his tongue and he felt her fingers tighten in his hair as she angled her head to the side, opening her lips to grant him access. He felt dizzy with desire and dragged in a ragged breath before taking her up on the invitation, his tongue plunging into her mouth to taste her.

Bella gasped as he deepened the kiss. He tasted divine, of coffee and mint and something earthy and masculine. She stroked her tongue languidly against his, sighing and tightening her fingers in his hair as their lips danced in passionate synchronicity. The hand not in her hair found purchase on her hip, his fingers flexing and pulling her closer until their bodies rested lightly against one another. Bella had to stop herself from pressing more fully into him.

Edward nibbled on her plump lower lip with his teeth before drawing it into his mouth and sucking lightly. Bella's hands slid from his hair to cup his jaw, her nails driving him crazy as she ran her fingers over his scruff. She loved the rough feel of his whiskers against her skin as he continued to devour her.

Bella dropped her head back, needing to catch her breath and clear her foggy mind. Holy fuck, Edward Cullen could kiss! She felt every second of their embrace all the way down to her toes, which were damn near curled in ecstasy just from his lips and tongue alone. And her reactions scared the living hell out of her.

Edward pressed soft, open-mouthed kisses along her jaw, licking slowly and moaning at the sweet, salty taste of her skin on his tongue. He worked his way towards her ear, taking the lobe between his teeth and biting lightly, chuckling when she giggled and shivered. He continued to kiss her neck, finding a sweet spot just beneath her left ear that made her swear out loud when he swept his tongue along the skin.

"Fuck, Bella, you taste so good," he growled near her ear, his voice sensual and rough. Bella's eyes nearly rolled back in her head as she felt her pussy clench tight with arousal at his words. She moaned in response, turning her head to seek his lips once again and pressing her body against his, desperate for more.

A loud beeping noise sounded in the kitchen and Edward jumped, pulling away from Bella at the unfamiliar noise. He heard Bella mumble another swear word under her breath as she fumbled in her pocket, pulling out her phone and hitting a switch to shut off the annoying noise.

They stared at each other wide-eyed in the silence. Edward groaned out loud when Bella's eyes flashed back to his lips and she unconsciously licked her own. "Uh, that was my alarm reminding me I have to leave for my study group," Bella said, sounding regretful and slightly breathless as her gaze continued to dart between his eyes and his lips. Helpless against the feelings he inspired, she cupped her hand around the back of his neck, standing on tiptoe as she pulled him back to her for an urgent kiss, only to break it off again a moment later. "I really can't miss it," she almost whined.

Edward smiled, kissing her once again but keeping it light, despite the screaming of his cock to grab her and fling her over his shoulder and take her to his bed right the fuck now. "No, you can't," he agreed. "What time will you be done?"

"Later this afternoon. We're working on completing our honors theses this weekend, and mine is up for discussion today," she replied She really wanted nothing more than to blow off her study group—something she had _never_ done before, and it kind of scared her that he inspired that kind of reaction in her.

"So come find me when you're done. All I have planned today is a date with the washing machine in the basement. I'll make dinner," he offered rashly, desperately wanting her to return to him tonight.

"You'll cook?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. They both laughed, which helped to break the tension.

"Well, I'll have dinner ready by six o'clock, how about that? Leave a little mystery...and enough time to hide the take out containers," he said with a grin.

Bella's conscience and libido agreed that this was an acceptable compromise, and since this was Jasper's weekend with Hailey she didn't have to worry about her little girl. "I'll bring the drinks, unless you're going to want that bottle of rare wine Emmett was talking about at the bar," she teased, unable to stop herself from touching him again and stroking his jaw.

He nudged her with his elbow. "Shut it, Swan, or I'll start calling _you_ the pretentious asshole. Now go to your study group, slacker," he said, forcing the words out when all he wanted to do was keep kissing her.

Bella reluctantly walked to the front door, but enjoyed the feel of Edward's hand on the small of her back as she did. "I'll see you tonight then," she said softly, tilting her head back and essentially begging for one last kiss. He did not disappoint, delivering another scorching embrace that left her panting and breathless.

She left his apartment in a daze, heading upstairs to grab her backpack. Once inside her apartment, she slumped against the door as everything that had transpired ran through her mind. _Oh __God_, what had she done?

* * *

><p><strong>So, did anyone see THAT coming? Because I have to say, Bella shocked the heck out of me...not that I can blame the girl! If there was anything in this chapter that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration, please send me a review &amp; let me know. I'll do my best to answer you! I am soooo enjoying the back and forth with everyone that's reading, so I'm going to shamelessly encourage you to review, review, review!<strong>

**Thanks to everyone who took the time to mosey over to The Lemonade Stand and vote for 'Til I Said it to You – we made the Fics of the Week list! Once again, my dear friend Onebravelamb has gone above and beyond with a review that makes me smile, blush and cry all at once! Check it out at http : / tehlemonadestand . Blogspot . Com / search / label / graymatters**

**As always, thanks so much for taking the time to read!**

**~GM**


	7. Chapter 7

**I big giant puffy heart my TISITY team: my betas pixiekat7 and ScottishRose1028, and my pre-readers CullenCrazy01, BilliCullen, Athome Jo and Onebravelamb. They are the heart and soul of this fic, I kid you not. I am the luckiest writer in the world to have you all by my side!**

**I still don't own Twilight. I do own cardboard cutouts of Twilight Edward, New Moon Edward, and New Moon Jasper. I have hired them to act as my personal bodyguards after the posting of this chapter. Why you may ask? Read on...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

Bella's study group that Saturday was easily one of the least productive days she'd ever had in nursing school. Her classmates knew her for her dedication to her studies, her focus and her drive to succeed. However, none of those characteristics were in evidence that day.

She was supposed to be participating in a practice session in defending her honor's thesis; all of the members of the study group had read her rough draft and were firing questions off at her regarding her research, her technique, her conclusions and her writing in general.

But she just couldn't focus; her mind was back in Edward's tiny kitchen, in his arms and on the feel of his lips on hers. After she spaced out one too many times, Eric had even pulled her aside and asked her if she was feeling well. She grasped blindly at the excuse, apologizing and telling the entire group that she was feeling a little under the weather.

Their resulting sympathy made her feel even worse. They'd all been sick at one time or another this semester, being in the hospital for clinical experience and being exposed to all the viruses that filled the building, but Bella was _physically_ fine. They agreed to re-shuffle the thesis defense schedule and put Bella back on in two weeks. Thank goodness she'd found this group of study partners who were as dedicated to their schooling as she was; otherwise, this kind of delay would have set them all back.

They broke from their study session early, but instead of heading straight home, Bella drove around for a little while, thinking…or at least trying to. What was it about Edward Cullen that had her so on edge, so completely incapable of focusing on anything but him? Sure, he was attractive…okay, he was absolutely fucking _hot_… but it wasn't like Jasper or any of the other men she'd dated had been dogs. Well, at least not in the looks sense, because God knows she'd dated her share of the kind of men that were only out to score. That's why she'd sworn off dating since Hailey was three months old and Riley had made it clear that he only thought of her as an easy lay and nothing more.

Edward had been just as much an asshole as Riley was the first time they'd met; hell, even more so with his oh-so-suave pick-up line and smirk she figured girls everywhere fell for. Well, not _this_ girl; she'd seen to it that he understood exactly how she felt about men like him. She'd have been perfectly content for that to be their first and last encounter.

Until he helped her outside the apartment building two weeks ago. She'd totally pegged him as the kind of guy to just walk away and allow someone to more or less fall on their face, so she'd been shocked as hell when he not only helped her, but apologized for his previous behavior as well. She really hadn't had the time when he invited her for coffee, but he'd looked so lonely that she'd been unable to say no.

Their conversation at the coffee house had been both pleasant and entertaining, despite the times he'd put his foot in his mouth. Her empathy for him grew as he had talked about how he had no friends or family to speak of. Bella herself had been living a difficult existence the past eighteen months, being a mom to Hailey and a full-time student in one of the most demanding nursing programs in the nation, but at least she had people in her life she could count on. She had been unable to stop herself from reaching out and touching his hand when he'd seemed so sad, and her skin felt electrified where she'd touched him. She'd really enjoyed getting to know him as they talked and exchanged stories. They had a lot in common, enjoying the same kind of music and books, although he was a typical action movie kinda guy where her life seemed to revolve around Disney movies and cartoons.

Of course then he had to over-react to the fact that she'd had to leave. He made her feel like a goddamned yo-yo and she just couldn't handle being jerked back and forth like that, so she'd flipped him off as she left and made a bitchy comment about him knowing her number. She knew she'd gone a little overboard in her reaction, feeling defensive about the way he characterized their living conditions and guilty once again for not being able to provide as well for her daughter as she'd like to.

And then there was today. She'd trudged home last night from another late shift at Eclipse, exhausted and pissed from having to fend of Riley's suddenly renewed advances at the bar. She was worried about the practice session defending her Honor's Thesis, and she was desperately missing Hailey, who had been spending more time than usual with Jasper and Alice due to her heavy study and work schedule. When she'd returned home to find the gift card taped on her door with the note, "Bella, please forgive me? ~ Edward", she'd nearly burst into tears.

That was the first night she'd dreamed of Edward Cullen, and her dreams about the man had been far from innocent. After her restless night, she'd stormed downstairs, in a foul mood and determined to regain her lapsed sanity. When he'd showed up at the door looking like sex personified and spouting even more beautiful words and apologies, her resolve dissolved like sugar in her favorite coffee and the next thing she knew _she_ was the one inviting _him_ out.

She'd enjoyed his quick wit and their easy banter as she curiously checked out his apartment. She felt bad when she teased him and he took it to mean she expected another apology. She just couldn't seem to control the way she spoke to him; there was just _something_about him that got under her skin, in a good way as well as a bad way.

She had no idea what had possessed her to touch him first when they were standing in his kitchen; she only knew that the desire to do so was so overwhelming that she couldn't find it in herself to resist. And then the kisses…oh holy fuck, the kisses! At first she thought it was her hormones and nothing more. After all, she hadn't had sex since she'd found out she was pregnant with Hailey; two plus years was a goddamn long time to go without. But while the kisses were completely amazing, she found herself thinking of their conversations just as often and smiling stupid girly smiles that she just didn't have time for in her life.

She seriously considered trying to worm her way out of dinner tonight, but whenever she thought about it she'd think of his face, so full of despair when he briefly mentioned his parents. She knew he wasn't close to anyone on the Hale & McCarty crew yet, so if she didn't follow through with their plans, she figured he'd be spending the evening alone. And she knew how much those kinds of evenings sucked. She instead she grabbed a six-pack of beer—she couldn't afford the top of the line, but it was a step up from the cheap swill he'd drunk with a grimace at Eclipse—an assortment of cookies from the bakery for dessert, and at six o'clock on the dot nervously knocked on his door.

**. . .**

Edward opened his door for the third time today to find Bella Swan on the other side. If he'd been surprised that she'd come back this morning with coffee, he was stunned when she returned this evening; he'd fully expected her to make an excuse and retreat, especially after their kisses earlier today.

To be honest, he'd been dealing with his own anxiousness all afternoon as a result of those kisses. They'd gone from hating each other—well, he was pretty sure _she__'__d_ hated _him_, at least—to one of the hottest make-out sessions he'd ever had with his clothes on, all in the span of just over an hour. He knew he wanted more with her, both more time and more kisses, but he wasn't sure how to move forward. He seemed to have a case of perpetual foot-in-mouth disease around her and he was never sure how she was going to react. He found her no-nonsense attitude both refreshing and terrifying.

"How was your study group?" he asked, ushering her into the apartment. He'd taken a little time this afternoon to continue the frantic cleaning she's inspired this morning, and he was even a little pleased with how much better the apartment looked with a little TLC.

"Fine," Bella replied, handing him a grocery bag. "The clerk looked at me a little funny when I bought beer and cookies, but I think he was just jealous I wasn't offering to share with him. Mmm, what smells so good?"

Edward had to tamp down the caveman reaction he felt at the idea of Bella sharing anything with anyone but him. Somehow he didn't think she'd appreciate it if he snarled "MINE" and marked her for all to see. He remembered that she'd asked a question just as she was raising her eyebrow to him. "Uh, I hope pasta's okay. I got Italian from that place a couple blocks down."

"If I don't have to cook it, then it's a treat, but you really shouldn't have gone to that much of an expense," Bella admonished, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. There was no way she'd be able to repay what he'd spent on their dinner.

"It's exactly that, a treat, _my_treat. I had a paycheck with some overtime from Hale & McCarty and felt like doing something a little more than the usual pizza or subs. Besides, you bought the beer and dessert."

"The beer's not exactly going to measure up," Bella fretted.

"But the company will outshine the meal entirely," Edward said, placing his index finger over her lips to end her nervous chatter. What he really wanted to do was lean down and kiss her, picking up where they'd left off this morning, but she seemed awfully skittish. "Deep breaths, Bella."

Bella closed her eyes for a moment, relishing the feel of his skin on hers. She had to stop herself from taking the digit between her lips and sucking it like she wanted to, her dreams of the night before and the memories of his kisses this morning wreaking havoc on her self-control. She took a deep, shuddering breath and opened her eyes, smiling up at him.

He removed his finger from her lips and tried to find something with which to busy himself before the impulse to touch her more took over. "Beer?" he asked, grabbing a bottle from the six-pack.

"Sure," Bella said, taking it from him and feeling a tingle run up her arm when their fingers connected on the exchange. "So what kind of pasta do we have?"

"Well, I wasn't sure what you liked, so I picked up some lasagna, some chicken Alfredo and an Italian sausage, pepper and potato skillet. They threw in the bread sticks and salad as well."

"Wow, sounds fabulous," Bella said. She had honestly expected pizza or burgers.

"Are you hungry? I mean, it's ready, we just need to load up our plates and dig in," Edward suggested, gesturing to the table where he had laid out two place settings.

As if on cue, Bella's stomach growled loudly and she groaned in embarrassment. "Sorry, I skipped lunch today," she said with a blush.

"Me too, so I'm starving," he replied, although Bella was certain he was just saying that to make her feel better. She thought it was kind of sweet as he pulled out the chair for her and then went into the kitchen to get the food.

She took a little bit of everything, hoping she didn't look like too much of a glutton. Everything was so delicious that she almost moaned in ecstasy when she tasted the different dishes. She mentally promised herself to save up for takeout from this place again.

She realized she had been shoveling food in her mouth so fast she'd barely paid any attention to Edward. When she looked up at him, he smiled and took a drink of his beer, and her eyes traveled down his throat as he swallowed. "You, uh, spilled a little sauce," Bella said, pointing to a perfectly round spot of marinara right in the middle of his chest, watching him dab at the stain with his napkin. "I meant to tell you this morning, I like your tee shirt. Dartmouth?" she asked.

He swallowed nervously as he set his napkin aside. He was wearing his team shirt from rowing with his last name was printed across the back: not exactly a generic college tee. "Um, yeah. I got my degree there."

"Wow, you must have been a really good student to get a scholarship in Ivy League. I earned nearly all A's in high school and junior college and I'm barely scraping by with loans and grants to go to U of W. The competition for scholarship money is fierce."

Her assumption that he had been a scholarship student gave him an uncomfortable pang of guilt. Even though he _had_ attended Dartmouth on scholarship, both academic and rowing, he'd not needed the money for his education the way she did for hers. He'd never considered that his acceptance of the academic scholarship money meant that some student who couldn't afford school would go without.

"But you're almost done with school, right?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, then I'll just need to find a job and start paying back those loans," she said with a groan.

"I know you'll be an R.N., but what kind of nursing do you want to do? Do you want to do something specialized?" he inquired.

"I'd love to continue on and become a nurse practitioner, but I can't afford to pursue that right now. I've enjoyed the hospital setting when I've worked there, but I need something with predictable hours, more nine-to-five," Bella answered, thinking of Hailey. "I'm looking into private practices, clinics, that kind of thing, hopefully in pediatrics. I know I'll end up working some evenings and weekends, but I want the majority of my time to be on a regular schedule."

"You've really got it figured out, don't you? I don't know that I've ever met anyone quite as driven as you," Edward mused. He admired her dedication to creating a better life for herself. He felt almost ashamed that everything had always come so easy for him, and that he had taken things like his education, his nice home, and his job for granted.

Bella shrugged. "I just know what I want."

"A lot of people our age have no idea what they want, and if they do know, no clue how to achieve it," he replied, mentally lumping himself in that group as his confusion blossomed. He realized he no longer had any idea what he was going to do with his life.

Bella seemed to realize he was talking about himself. "You're young; you've got plenty of time. You'll figure it out," she said softly, reaching over and placing her hand over his.

He quickly flipped his hand over and laced their fingers together. "Thanks," he said simply.

"Thank you for dinner. It was wonderful. We could break out the cookies now, but I don't think I could eat another bite," Bella responded, feeling flustered by his attention.

"How about we grab another beer and watch some television?" he suggested. "I don't have cable, but I picked up a few DVDs last week." Along with the second-hand television and DVD player. He'd justified the expense because it was so damned quiet in the apartment all the time.

"Okay, let me take care of the dishes first," Bella offered, standing up to clean off the table.

"Nah, I'll take care of them," Edward objected, removing the dishes from her hands. "You go look at the DVDs, see if there's anything that looks good to you."

Although Bella protested, Edward prevailed and soon was up to his elbows in hot soapy water as she called out the titles of DVDs, asking his opinion. They settled on a comedy they had both seen before and Bella popped it into the DVD player while Edward finished in the kitchen.

When Edward came into the living room, Bella was sitting in the middle of the couch, her legs folded beneath her, sipping her beer and looking far too tempting. He hesitated for just a moment, wondering if he should take the single chair in the room. Bella patted the cushion next to her. "It's okay, I don't bite. Well I _do_, but not usually on the first date," she joked, her cheeks flushing as she worried the label on her beer bottle with her fingernail when she realized what she'd just said.

"Oh I don't know, I think you might have done a little nibbling this morning," he teased, plopping onto the couch beside her and nudging her with his elbow. He enjoyed the way her blush flared even more and couldn't help but notice that the color spread down her neck and wondered if she would blush all over with the proper..._stimulation._

As the movie started, Bella casually leaned against his arm and dropped her head to his shoulder. Edward nudged her again and when she looked up, he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her, pulling her closer to him. She settled into his side, one arm tucked between them and the other resting on his chest just like she had done this morning.

He tilted his head to the side and laid his cheek on the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her silky curls. He felt his pulse pick up when her fingers started to trace the planes of his chest through his thin tee shirt. He had to bite his lower lip to stifle his moan when her nails lightly raked his nipple, unable to stop the other reactions he was having to her proximity and touch. He shifted a little, hoping that she wouldn't notice the way his cock was hardening, yet at the same time hoping that she _would_…

Bella knew she was playing with fire, but she couldn't stop herself from touching him the way she'd wanted to since this morning. Well, at least _some_ of the ways she wanted to. She snuggled closer, his warm, masculine scent making her head spin as she brushed her nose against the side of his neck just below his ear. She watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed and she could swear she felt him tremble beneath her hand when she lightly scratched at his chest. She continued to nuzzle his neck and shoulder, the movie completely forgotten as she pressed a kiss to his warm skin.

Edward could no longer contain his moan when he felt her lips against his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, his head falling back against the couch for a brief moment. When he felt her mouth move and her tongue stroke his flesh, he turned to capture her already open lips with his in a searing kiss.

Bella was lost the moment their lips met and she eagerly devoured him. Her tongue greeted his, stroking sinuously and coaxing him into her mouth. She reached up, sliding her fingers into his hair to gain purchase as she gave in to her desire. She tugged and pulled, trying to get closer and closer as their lips meshed feverishly.

Edward's arms slid around her, pulling her to him and holding her tight. God, this was what he'd been wanting all day long, Bella warm and willing in his arms. His hands sought the hem of her shirt and he slid them under the fabric, relishing in the feel of her beneath his fingers. He rubbed the rough pads of his fingertips against her smooth skin, sliding his hands up her rib cage until they were resting just beneath her bra, waiting for her to protest. When she didn't stop him but instead pushed herself closer, he very deliberately swept his thumbs over her hardened nipples and absorbed her gasp of pleasure in his mouth.

"Oh God," Bella breathed, arching her back as he continued his exploration of her breasts, his callused fingers tracing the scalloped edge of the bra cup before delving beneath to tug at her expectant peaks, sending a sharp, stinging ache straight to her sex.

She pulled on the hem of his tee shirt, needing to see him, to feel his flesh beneath her fingertips. He leaned toward her and together they removed his shirt, his movements frenetic as she pressed her palms against his torso and slid them up with the tee shirt.

Bella had to bite back a whimper at the sight of him shirtless, her mouth going dry. He was muscular, but not overly so, his torso lean and chiseled with a fine dusting of hair covering his skin. She leaned down and nuzzled her nose in the crook of his neck, sucking and nipping on his collarbone as her hands explored the expanse of his chest.

Edward slid his hands down and grabbed her shirt, tugging until he had it up over her head, her arms trapped above her. He held her there and captured her lips once again in an aggressive kiss, grunting when their teeth clacked together. His other hand returned to fondle her breast, tugging the cup down and exposing the ripe peak. He pulled back to look at her, her face flushed, her lips swollen and shiny and her eyes dark with lust. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he slowly lowered his mouth to take her nipple between his lips, sucking and laving the sensitive tip.

Bella hissed, the feel of his hot mouth against her cool flesh clouding her thoughts and making her body shiver in anticipation. She arched her back to drive her breast deeper into his mouth, pulling at the makeshift binding of her shirt and freeing her hands which went straight to his hair to press him even closer. Edward moaned at the feel of her fingernails against his scalp and turned his attention to her other breast, giving it the same oral treatment as its twin.

The rhythmic tug of his tongue and lips were already pushing Bella close to the edge. She had to be closer to him. She rose to her knees and climbed over him so that she was straddling his lap, moaning when she felt his thick length against her hipbone. She couldn't stop herself from rocking against him, both of them gasping at the sensation. He felt _so_ good, hard and ready between her legs as she moved over him, whimpering at the contact even with the layers of clothing that inhibited them.

_Jesus_, Edward thought, worried he was going to blow his load right here on his couch with her grinding over him. He could feel the warmth radiating from her center as she moved her body over his and he slid one hand down to cup her through her jeans. Bella moaned and trembled at the press of his fingers _right__there_.

"Christ, Bella, you are so fucking sexy. I want you so much," Edward groaned in a low, hypnotic voice. His fingers worked free the button of her jeans and then slid beneath the fabric of her panties, brushing the top of her curls and making her whimper again. Bella felt his fingertips brush against the scar just above her pubic bone and she gasped, pulling back as reality crashed hard in her sex-fogged brain.

"Edward, I...I can't. I don't do..._this_. I don't just fall into bed with someone and have casual sex, one-night stands," she whispered, her body betraying her with its reactions as she continued to press back against him, seeking friction and heat.

"One night for us wouldn't be enough, sweet girl," he murmured, his mouth returning to hers, his lips and tongue persuasive. He ran his hands down her back and cupped her ass, pulling her tighter against his erection. "You know how good we will be. Give in to it, baby.

Oh God, she did want to give in. Free her desire, just let go and _feel_. She didn't doubt for a moment that it would be good. He set her ablaze with a single kiss, a simple touch. But it was exactly that fire that she feared—she didn't want to be consumed, to have all that was left at the end of the night charred bits of herself to rebuild.

"I _can__'__t_," Bella sobbed, using the last of her emotional strength to rip herself from Edward's arms and huddle on the couch. She grabbed her tee shirt and held it to her chest as she tried to bring her emotions and hormones back under control.

"What the hell is happening here, Bella? I mean you're hot one minute, cold the next... Did I do something wrong, because you really seemed to be enjoying yourself as much as I was. Or are you just fucking with my mind to get me back for all the stupid things I've said and done?" he asked, running his hands through his hair in utter frustration. He _knew_ she wanted him with the same intensity he wanted her. It was obvious in the way she touched him, the way she kissed him.

Bella felt tears of frustration fill her eyes. "I just...this isn't...God, I _want_ to, trust me," she pleaded. "I'm just...scared."

"Scared? Like I frighten you?" he asked, offended. "It's not like I was forcing myself on you, Bella. _You_ kissed _me_ first, _you_ took off _my_ shirt, _you_ straddled _my_ lap.

Bella was horrified that he thought she was scared of him. "No, I'm not scared of you. It's...I'm... fuck!" she swore. She took a deep breath and then blurted out the truth before she could change her mind. "I'm scared because the last time I did this, I ended up pregnant!"

* * *

><p><strong>*hides behind Cardboard Edwards* Noooo, I'm not coming out until it's safe...or until Breaking Dawn...whichever comes first. I think it's probably going to be Breaking Dawn...<strong>

**So, a lot of you have been asking about when Edward will find out about Hailey...SURPRISE! Although no one is quite as surprised as Edward. The good news? The next couple of chapters are written, and I might post Chapter 8 a few days early, although I suspect we'll all be too busy watching Breaking Dawn over and over and over...**

**I almost hesitate to say this, but...if anything in this chapter made you smile, laugh, sigh or growl in frustration, please let me know? Press that little "Review this Chapter" button below and give me your thoughts - good or bad! I can take it! *hides behind Cardboard Jasper***

**Thanks for taking the time to read!**

**~ GM**


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Twilight. If I did, I would give all of you copies of Breaking Dawn - Part I right the hell now because I LOVED IT! What was YOUR favorite part/line? And Breaking Dawn - Part II would be coming out next week. See, I'm much nicer than Summit :)**

**My team rocks hardcore. I flove pixiekat7, Scottishrose1028, Athome Jo, Cullen_Crazy01, BilliCullen, and Onebravelamb. They are the butter to my popcorn, the raisin to my nettes, the Cherry to my Coke... yeah, so getting ready to go see Breaking Dawn again :) Literally, as soon as I post we're leaving. **

**And because I love you guys for NOT crucifying me for Chapter 7's cliffie, I am posting Chapter 8 for you now! I still have about 30 reviews left to reply to for 7, but I wanted to get this out. Read on and meet me at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

"_I'm scared because the last time I did this, I ended up pregnant!"_

Edward froze at Bella's words, his hands stilling in his hair. He stared at her, trying to make sense of what she'd just said. Pregnant? As in, a baby? Bella had a child?

"You don't have a kid. We live in the same building, I would've seen it," he disputed, the notion just too impossible to believe. _Women __and __children __live __here_, he suddenly remembered Tyler saying when he'd toured the apartment.

Bella pulled her shirt over her head to cover herself and then stared at her knees, her voice so soft he had to strain to hear it. "I have a daughter, Edward. She's a year-and-a-half old."

Things still didn't add up in his brain. "You can't have a kid. You're always working, or at school."

"It's called a babysitter, Edward. She goes to the University daycare center while I'm in class. And I only work two or three nights depending on the week, so she goes to her dad's on those nights. But most of my evenings I'm home before five and I spend them here with her, then study after she goes to sleep."

He realized that it did explain why he never saw her around the building in the evenings. "So how exactly did it happen?" he asked.

Bella laughed humorlessly. "Really Edward? Given what we were just doing on your couch, you really need me to give you a birds-and-bees talk?"

Edward felt an uncharacteristic blush color his cheeks. "Obviously I understand the mechanics. You just seem way too, uh, focused? Driven? I don't know..._smart_, to end up a single mother."

Bella felt her temper flare. "So only stupid people get pregnant when they don't intend to?" Memories of her mother's harsh words when she'd told her about her pregnancy flooded her mind. _"__Jesus __Christ, __Bella. __How __can __such __an __intelligent __girl __do __something __so __colossally __ignorant? __You're __going __to __ruin __everything __you've __been __working __for!__"_

"I didn't say that; don't put words in my mouth, Bella. I'm sorry; I'm just trying to figure this out. It's just hard to reconcile the Bella I know with the kind of person that makes a mistake like that..."

"My daughter is NOT a mistake! Don't ever say that again!" Bella admonished him in a low voice.

"Whoa, calm down," he said, his eyes going wide in the face of her anger. "I didn't mean that _she's_ a mistake, but you just said yourself that the pregnancy wasn't planned, didn't you?"

"Sorry, I'm very touchy about my little girl being called a _mistake_. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me, even if I didn't expect to be a mother this young." She felt her eyes fill with tears, remembering how people who purported to love her had counseled her to rid herself of the 'mistake' that would ruin her life... including at one time, even Jasper himself.

_Alice with a pinched look on her face, "Bella, it's nothing more than a mistake that will mess up your entire life. And mine and Jasper's, too. You should just...get rid of it."_

_Bella protesting, the mere thought of what Alice was suggesting making her ill. She already loved this child. "Jasper?"_

_Jasper looking from Bella to Alice and back again, his expression full of doubt and confusion. "Maybe Alice is right, Bella. It's not like we planned this..." _

As if he were privy to her memories, Edward asked "What about the douche bag that got you pregnant?"

Bella rolled her eyes at Edward's judgmental tone. "We were dating, nothing serious, but just having fun with each other. We were only twenty; young, reckless and stupid. We weren't as careful as we should have been and I got pregnant."

"Why aren't you still together?"

"He met someone a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant. We had already broken up when I got the news."

"And he didn't come back to you? Not even when he found out?"

"Actually, he did. He said he was going to break up with his girlfriend so we could raise our daughter together."

_Jasper's eyes are downcast, his expression guilty. "Bella, if you're going to keep it, you shouldn't have to do it all alone. This is as much my responsibility as it is yours. I'm going to end things with Alice so we can do the right thing."_

_Yeah, just what every girl dreams of—a man who stays with her to in order to 'do the right thing.'_

"Changed his mind, did he?" Edward asked with a sneer.

"No, actually I told him no thanks. Like I said, we'd been dating, but I wasn't the love of his life and he wasn't mine. I didn't see any reason to try again, especially when he'd already met his someone special. And we do raise our daughter together – she spends part of every week with him. Jasper's a good father."

Edward just couldn't wrap his head around the concept of Bella being a mom and raising a child with her ex. He suddenly remembered their conversation about family at the coffee shop, when she'd told him about her dad, her mom and step-dad, and a complete lack of extended family; no surviving grandparents, no aunts, uncles or cousins.

But a daughter, someone she'd given birth to, she certainly qualified as family. The more he realized all she'd deliberately kept from him, the more hurt he felt. "Why the hell didn't you tell me this before?" he demanded, unable to keep the anger from his voice.

"It wasn't exactly any of your fucking business," Bella snapped back at him, wounded by his accusatory tone.

"Seriously? Because I think what was just happening on this couch makes it very much my business," he snarled, fingers in his hair once again, tugging and pulling as he tried to sort through the mishmash of emotions he was feeling.

"Really?" she replied sarcastically, jumping up from the very couch of which he was speaking. "Believe it or not, kissing does not give you any rights to private information on my life."

"It sure as hell does when you're using that private information as an excuse!" he all but shouted at her.

"I'm not using her as an _excuse_, Edward! I'm a _mom._ I have someone for whom I am _completely_responsible, someone who looks up to me. She's my entire world and I owe it to her not to just jump into bed every time I'm attracted to someone or feel the need to scratch an itch. I won't expose her to a revolving door of men; my own mother did that often enough when I was growing up that I know how it affects a kid. But yes, Hailey's the _reason_ I don't do casual anymore." She paced back and forth, gnawing on her bottom lip and otherwise trying to expend the nervous energy that filled her.

"Hailey?" Edward asked, momentarily distracted from his anger with her by the softened tone of her voice.

"Hailey Johanna, or I call her Hailey Jo," Bella replied, and Edward noticed the way her eyes and voice lightened when she said her daughter's name. She looked absolutely radiant, and it was a punch to his gut when he realized he'd never found her more attractive.

"So Hailey, where is she right now?" Edward asked, looking around as if he expected a small child to suddenly pop up.

"With her father. He has her every other weekend, plus certain times during the week when I'm working," Bella answered. "She's been spending a lot more time with him recently because of my schedule. I'll be glad when my honors classes are finished in just a couple more weeks and I can go back to having her with me more. I miss her."

Edward could hear the all the love and affection she held for her daughter in her voice, but he just couldn't relate. He'd used the necessary phrases at the necessary times, telling girls what they needed to hear to get what he wanted, but to him they were just words—he'd never felt them, never meant them. Aside from his parents, he'd never felt strongly about anyone or anything in his life. He kind of envied Bella and her ability to love someone so unconditionally and irrevocably

They both sat in silence for a few moments while the movie played on the television. Lines she'd laughed at repeatedly echoed in the apartment, but she'd never felt less like laughing. "So where does this leave, uh…you know, us? This?" she finally asked, gesturing between the two of them. Despite everything, he made her feel things that she hadn't felt before, and not just physical things, although there was no denying those feelings were amazing.

Edward grabbed his tee shirt and pulled it back over his head to avoid immediately answering her question. He knew he still wanted her, very much so. But he'd never been involved with anyone who had kids before and given the chaos his life was already in, he wasn't sure if he was ready or able to handle it now. She didn't do casual; he had never done anything but.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "I'd like to say what you've told me doesn't make any difference, but it does. I like you, Bella, and God knows I find you attractive. But I don't know how to respond to what you've told me, and I need some time to process all of it."

Bella fought against the tears that threatened to rise and took a deep, shuddering breath to quash them. She had known that his rejection was a possibility when she told him the truth; what she hadn't realized was how much it would hurt. How much she'd already begun to hope that he was different than the others. She was angry with herself for allowing him to breach the barriers she'd so carefully constructed and maintained.

"Fair enough," she said, trying to keep her tone cool and even. "I should be going. I've got some more studying I need to do. Uh, thanks for dinner," she said, wondering if he would try to convince her to stay. _Hoping_ he would.

"Yeah, it was nice," he replied absently. If _she'd_ been scared before, _he_ was absolutely terrified. He needed time to think. He didn't want her to go, but he was afraid of what would happen if she stayed. He didn't want to hurt her; especially now, knowing that someone else's entire life depended completely on her.

"Okay. I guess I'll see you around," Bella replied dully. She donned her sweatshirt, blushing profusely when she uncovered her bra on the back of the couch and quickly tucked it into the pouch pocket of her hoodie.

Edward followed her to his door and then offered, "Do you want me to walk you downstairs?"

Bella shook her head and stared at the floor. "No, I'm good," she mumbled.

"Bella," Edward said softly, reaching over to cup her face with his hand and tilting her head back so that she looked up at him. He leaned forward, the urge to kiss her again nearly overwhelming.

"Please don't," Bella whispered, closing her eyes and feeling a lone tear escape from the corner. She turned and fled, running up the stairs as fast as her feet could carry her before he witnessed her breakdown.

**…**

The rest of Bella's weekend was quiet and full of introspection. She hid out in her apartment and while she was able to get some studying done, her thoughts often returned to her Saturday encounters with Edward. She probably could have saved herself a lot of heartache if she just had just told him about Hailey when they went to the coffee shop, but at the time she hadn't been sure if they were even going to be friends. The idea of 'more' hadn't even crossed her mind.

As a general rule, she didn't share information about Hailey with acquaintances, and she'd learned that the hard way. Too many, like Riley, made assumptions about her morals based on her single mother status. He'd figured she was desperate for attention and accustomed to having her carnal needs "serviced" on a regular basis. On their second date, he'd enthusiastically offered to help her with those needs, so long as she was willing to assure him that she wasn't out to trap him with a child the way she had her ex. Her dad Charlie had been proud of her when she'd broken Riley's nose when he was reluctant to take "no" for an answer. Charlie had teasingly called her 'Slugger' ever since.

Unfortunately, the next year of working evenings at Eclipse had done little to restore her faith in men and what they were truly after. After being hit on by countless drunks who seemed to only be looking for a convenient piece of ass, Bella had taken to dressing down in loose fitting jeans and shirts that disguised her figure. The tips weren't as generous, but she'd take that any day over having to fend off the advances of horny patrons.

But then there was Edward. At first sight, he had appealed to her on a physical level in a way no man had in a long time. Of course, that attraction had so unnerved her that when he gave her a practiced, sexy smirk in return she'd been immediately suspicious of his motivation. She'd felt sympathy for him when he'd related a small portion of his story at the bar and had appreciated his thoughtfulness when he'd paid for the round of drinks. But then he had to go and prove himself to be just like all the other men she'd known, assuming that just because she was a waitress that she'd be an easy lay.

She'd taken grim satisfaction in setting him up and putting him in his place. She'd particularly enjoyed hearing from Jacob through Vanessa that Edward's co-workers had been privy to the whole thing...especially when she'd heard that he'd made some sort of comment about her wanting him to the whole table.

But now, she had no idea how she truly felt. She knew she liked Edward, a LOT, and that she wanted to spend more time with him. But her daughter was her number one priority and a complete deal-breaker for her. She wasn't going to get herself involved in a dead-end relationship, no matter how good the sex promised to be. That thought of sex with Edward, and the memory of their escapades on the couch last night, left Bella practically squirming.

Hailey deserved better than the childhood Bella had been exposed to; her mother's never-ending string of boyfriends parading through their home and spending the night, sometimes moving in for a while, but always leaving Renee heartbroken at the end and forcing Bella to pick up the pieces. Bella had been profoundly relieved when Phil had come into Renee's life, allowing Bella to break free and move to Washington to stay with her dad.

The buzz of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts and she slid her display open. It was from Jasper: **On ****my ****way ****with ****Hailey. ****Be ****there ****in ****five**.

Bella slipped on a pair of shoes and went downstairs to wait by the front door, not wanting her daughter to be caught out in the cold any longer than she had to be. Jasper pulled up to the front of the building and got out of his car, lifting a tired Hailey from her car seat.

Bella opened the front door to the building and ushered them inside, immediately reaching for Hailey. Her heart filled with happiness and a smile broke out over her face when Hailey reached up to touch her cheek, murmuring, "Mama," in a sleepy voice and then laying her tiny head against Bella's shoulder. Bella stroked her soft curls with one hand and inhaled her sweet scent and suddenly, everything felt right in her world again.

"How was she this weekend?" Bella asked, knowing that Hailey sometimes acted out for Jasper in ways she didn't at home.

"She was perfect, but she missed her momma an awful lot," Jasper said, watching them with a warm expression. "She talked about you constantly. Oh, and there might have been a bit of a showdown over headbands at one point this weekend. Somehow the one Alice chose ended up in the toilet, and Hailey didn't wear one."

Bella laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, Hailey does not like anything on her head. Winter's going to be fun, that's for sure. But Jasper, some day Alice is going to realize that Hailey's not a Barbie doll for her to dress, right?" she asked, half-seriously.

Jasper grinned and nodded. "It's taken a while, but I think it's finally starting to sink in. The headband was the only point of contention the entire weekend. Alice barely blinked when Hailey chose a black flowered dress, brown striped tights, and her pink ballet slippers yesterday."

Bella couldn't help but laugh in response. Their little girl definitely had a mind of her own; she often joked that Hailey marched to the beat of her own accordion. "So how was your weekend, Bella? Did you do anything fun, or were you a book worm all weekend?" Jasper asked.

Bella hoped her blush wouldn't give her away as she pressed her face in Hailey's hair to hide. "Oh you know me, all work and no play makes Bella…Bella," she joked.

"Bella, you need to have a life. Have some _fun_," Jasper said.

"I do have a life," Bella insisted, faltering when Jasper leveled her with a stare. "Er…well, I _will_ have a life after I graduate. And I have plenty of fun," she protested, remembering just how much _fun_ she'd had with Edward…and then dejectedly recalling how she herself had ended that fun with her inability to keep her mouth shut.

"You deserve to be happy," Jasper said softly, putting his arm around Bella and Hailey both and giving them a squeeze. "You're already an amazing mom, you're going to be an amazing nurse, but you need to remember that you're an amazing _woman_ as well."

"Thanks, Jazz," Bella whispered, hugging him back.

Hailey chose that moment to speak up, shrieking, "Hawee hungee!" in both of their ears. Bella laughed, shaking her head against the ringing in her ear.

"Momma's hungry, too. Let's go make dinner, Sweet Pea. Give Daddy some sugar," Bella said, smiling when Hailey puckered up her lips and gave Jasper a loud, smacking kiss.

Jasper accepted it with a laugh, then blew a raspberry on Hailey's cheek before pressing a quick kiss to Bella's cheek as well. "Remember what I said, Bella Swan. He's there somewhere, waiting for you. Don't sell yourself short, or be so stubborn you can't see what's in front of you."

He'd always had a way of offering up advice in a cryptic manner that usually left her reeling in confusion. His latest words were no different. She shifted Hailey to her hip as they watched out the window, waving and calling goodbye until Jasper pulled away from the curb. Bella shouldered Hailey's overnight bag and turned to go up the stairs.

Standing in his doorway, his eyes wide as he took in the scene, was Edward. She had no idea how long he'd been standing there. He looked more confused than ever, looking from Bella to the toddler in her arms and back again, all of which made Bella's heart ache and her resolve strengthen. She nodded wordlessly to him and climbed the stairs without looking back. She had everything she needed here in her arms; she didn't need to waste any more of her time wondering what might have been with Edward Cullen.

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><p><strong>Do I still need my security detail? Because I'm willing to beef it up with borrowed Emmett and Jacob standups, plus my five Mini-Edwards if necessary...<strong>

**Soooo... if there's anything that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration, please let me know! You know how much I love hearing your thoughts on the updates.**

**Thanks for taking the time to read, and especially review!**

**~GM**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here I am, still not owning Twilight. If I did, I'd share it with all of you wonderful people, because I'm kinda crazy generous like that.**

**All kinds of love and worshipfulness to my betas and pre-reading team, Scottishrose1028, pixiekat07, Billicullen, Cullen_Crazy01, Athome Jo, and Onebravelamb. They keep me sane, which is not an easy job on the best of days...**

**I apologize for the week of wait time. I guess I kinda took Thanksgiving week off unintentionally. I had family here for the holiday & then just spent the rest of the time hanging with my kiddos. It was nice to have some time away :) But I'm back on schedule, so let's see what's been happening, shall we?**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

It was way too early to be as cheerful as those that surrounded her, but Rosalie pasted on a semi-convincing smile anyway. She looked around the crowded ballroom for some familiar faces. These functions—especially the breakfast ones—were never her favorite thing to do, but she'd made some great connections through the Seattle Women Architects & Builders Association in the past. There were women from every aspect of the construction business here, from small, privately-owned companies like hers to high-powered architectual and design firms. She did harbor a fleeting wish that this was one of their couple's functions, as she missed having Emmett at her side. All of these events were far more fun with her husband at her side.

"Rosalie, I've been looking all over for you!" called a soft, feminine voice behind her. Rosalie turned to find Katrina Lexington, an up-and-coming architect at a firm that had utilized Hale & McCarty for several of their builds. They had gotten to know one another at a few of these functions and as a result on a social level as well; Emmett and Kate's husband Garrett had become good friends. "Please tell me you're going to sit with me and break up the dull monotony of another one of these meetings," Kate begged prettily.

"Of course. Who else am I going to snark with about the fashion here?" Rosalie joked as the two of them worked their way through the crowd. They were waved over by Carmen Denali, an interior designer with whom they were both acquainted and accepted glasses of orange juice from one of the wait staff as they made themselves comfortable.

"Were they handing out agendas on the way in?" Rosalie asked.

Both Kate and Carmen shook their heads. "Guess we'll just have to be surprised," Kate mused, taking a sip of her drink. "God, this would be so much better as a mimosa," she lamented.

"They don't want us falling asleep when the boring speakers start," Rosalie joked.

Carmen spoke up. "I actually heard that the keynote speaker this time should be pretty good. She's an architect from one of the big firms, Masen Designs."

Rosalie's ears perked up at the name of the firm. She'd verified Edward's past employment with Masen, but the human resources clerk offered nothing more than required by law: his employment dates, salary history and whether or not they'd hire him again. She'd been surprised when they said yes, they would take him back. When Rosalie when to ask why he'd been let go in the first place, the cryptic answer had simply been, "We have no position for him at the current time." Which made no sense, given that they had been advertising for an entry-level architect at the time.

The whole conversation had left her even more confused than before, but by that time she and Emmett had agreed that Edward was learning the ropes and deserved a chance to prove himself at Hale & McCarty. Emmett had tried on several occasions to get Edward to open up, to divulge more about his past, but he'd been surprisingly closed-mouthed after that first night at Eclipse. She wondered briefly if today's speaker was acquainted with or knew of Edward and was looking forward to maybe obtaining a little more insight into their newest employee if she could get the speaker alone for a few minutes.

Their table was soon filled with other women and the talk centered around shop. Three of the women were architects like Kate, two interior designers including Carmen and the other three affiliated with the construction side of the industry as Rosalie was. Business cards were exchanged, numbers programmed into cell phones and Rosalie even managed to schedule appointments with one designer and an architect. These connections were the exact reason she dragged her ass out of bed at this ungodly hour and attended these events.

As the breakfast dishes were being cleared away, the president of the S.W.A.B.A. took to the podium. Rosalie listened as she made several announcements about upcoming events, including a fundraiser that made her realize that Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays were rapidly approaching.

She turned her wandering thoughts back to the business at hand when the President began her introduction for the speaker.

"Our guest today really needs no introduction in the S.W.A.B.A world, but since she's one of my closest and dearest friends, I'll be offering one anyway." She waited for the light laughter to die down. "She began her career in the architectural field at a time when women were mainly the 'office girls,' setting a new standard at her father's company, Masen Design. With her marriage to a successful Seattle contractor and businessman, the merger of their two companies under the Masen Design and Construction banner revolutionized the architectural and construction industries here in the Pacific Northwest. Without further adieu, please help me give a warm welcome to the creative head of Masen Design, Esme Cullen!"

The applause that rang throughout the room did nothing to drown out the voices shouting in Rosalie's head. Esme _Cullen_? What were the odds that a woman Edward worked with at Masen Design shared his same last name? Sure, she'd heard the surname Cullen before, but for two of them to be at the same company? She watched very closely as a petite woman of indeterminate age approached the podium and shook the hand of the woman who had introduced her.

Rosalie studied the woman carefully as she began her speech. She was petite, with dark eyes and hair the color of warm caramel, artfully arranged in waves around her face and down to her shoulders. Her voice sounded cultured and melodious, although Rosalie barely heard a word she was saying. She thought she may have recognized a few of the facial expressions: the slightly crooked smile and the arch of her eyebrow. But they were hardly uncommon gestures. Maybe she was just trying to find resemblance between Esme and Edward where there was none, based solely on the coincidence of their last names.

At the end of the speech, Esme thanked the crowd for attending and was greeted with a very warm round of applause, some members of the audience even standing. "Wow, she was great, wasn't she?" Kate said to Rosalie, her voice full of admiration.

"Huh? Oh yeah, terrific," Rosalie agreed belatedly, continuing to watch Esme as she spoke with the board members. She knew she needed to talk with her, privately, to find out if her suspicions had any foundation.

The crowd began to disperse and Rosalie carefully edged herself closer to where Esme stood, greeting people she knew as she passed. She spotted her opportunity when she excused herself to use the bathroom. She followed at discrete distance, waiting until Esme had entered the bathroom before slipping into the room after her. She stood in front of the mirror, fluffing her hair and pretending to fix her makeup until Esme emerged and joined her at the sink.

Up close, she noted that Esme was even tinier than she had looked from a distance, with Rosalie towering almost a foot over her. She was also older than she first appeared, with fine laugh lines around her eyes and the corners of her lips that did absolutely nothing to detract from her looks. Her theory of sister was quashed, but her other suspicion continued to build. She was as beautiful as Edward was handsome, well dressed in a sharp designer suit that flattered both her coloring and hourglass figure.

"You gave a wonderful speech," Rosalie complimented in an attempt to engage her in conversation.

"Thank you very much. I have to admit that, even after all this time, I still get terribly nervous speaking when in front of a crowd," Esme replied, brushing a light coat of gloss across her lips

"Well I definitely couldn't tell; you were like a pro up there. By the way, I'm Rosalie Hale, with Hale & McCarty," she said, proffering her hand to Esme who shook it with a smile.

"Esme Cullen, Masen Design," she introduced herself unnecessarily.

"Cullen? Is that a very common surname around here?" Rosalie asked in what she hoped was a casual tone. "I'm originally from New York, so I'm never sure about regional names."

"It's my married name so I can't be absolutely sure, but I don't think it's terribly common, no. There are maybe a dozen or so Cullens in the greater Seattle area. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Rosalie said with a shrug. "We hired a new guy on our construction crew not too long ago and his last name is Cullen. I wasn't sure if he would be any relation of yours."

Rosalie was surprised when Esme gasped, her hand flying to her mouth and the color draining from her face. "Edward?" she asked in a near whisper

"Yes, that's his name, Edward, Edward Cullen. I take it you know him?" Rosalie asked.

"You said you hired him? What kind of work is he doing? Do you know where he's staying? Is he okay?" The questions tumbled out rapidly as she reached out and gripped Rosalie's hand tightly, her brown eyes luminous with unshed tears.

"Um, he's fine, as far as I know, although I haven't seen him in a couple of days. He does construction work for us around various sites and I think he's got an apartment somewhere near downtown," Rosalie answered, being intentionally vague. "May I ask why you're so interested in Edward?"

Esme closed her eyes and took a deep breath, very obviously trying to steady her nerves. "Oh, thank goodness he's okay. We tried to find him, but he switched his bank account and there wasn't any way to track him there. We tried calling, but he blocked our numbers from his cell and then changed his number altogether. The private investigator wasn't able to get anywhere after he checked out of the hotel. Oh, I have to call Carlisle! Ms. Hale, please, please tell me where I can find Edward."

"If he's blocking your calls, I'm sure it's with good reason," Rose responded, suddenly feeling protective of Edward. "And you never did answer my question; why are you so interested in Edward?"

Esme wrung her hands together. "Edward Cullen is my son," she finally answered.

Rosalie had been expecting it, but still felt shocked by the answer. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Edward is my son," Esme repeated.

"Edward's your _son_? You mean the one that you kicked out of your house? And you're actually _surprised_ that he's blocked your calls and dropped out of sight?" Rosalie asked incredulously.

If it was possible, Esme's face grew even paler. "It's not like that," she argued, her tone becoming haughty.

It was that tone that pissed Rosalie off. In a cool, steely voice, she replied, "Really? Then tell me what's it _is_ like, Mrs. Cullen. Tell me why Edward's living in a crappy apartment in a questionable part of town, bumming rides with my crew and doing all the grunt work on construction sites for just over minimum wage."

"No, no, no, you don't understand. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be gone for a week, maybe two and come back when he'd learned his lesson," Esme said quietly, shaking her head in denial.

"You kicked him out to teach him a lesson? And wait, you're the head of design for Masen, you were his boss; that means that _you_ fired him!" Rosalie was indignant now.

"Ms. Hale, I don't know what Edward's told you, but…"

"He's hardly told us anything, despite the fact that my husband and I have been trying to help him. He said he lost his job, but since his only job was at the _family_ business, I assume you must've had something to do with that. And then he said his parents asked him to move out and I'm betting, based on your Chanel suit and Louboutin shoes, that you're not exactly on skid row. Now I may have questioned his motives when he showed up for the interview, but he's been a good employee, a hard worker. If he doesn't want you to know where he is, I'm not about to share that information," Rosalie finished.

Esme sighed wearily, sounding as though she held the weight of the world on her shoulders. Rosalie almost felt sorry for her. _Almost_. Then Esme straightened her back and looked Rosalie in the eye, not an easy task given their height difference. "Thank you, Ms. Hale. I have to say, I am very proud that my son has such a loyal friend in his corner. I can only regret the abysmal decision that his father and I made to cast him out into the 'real' world and hope that Edward will contact us when he is ready." She dug into her handbag and pulled out a business card and a pen, adding information on the back before handing it to Rosalie. "These are my private numbers, Ms. Hale, both at work and at home. They ring straight through to me. If you should have a change of heart-"

"I won't, but I will pass the information along to Edward if he needs it," Rosalie interrupted. "And I'm going to ask that you not interfere with our business at Hale & McCarty, now that you know that Edward is there. We're a small company, well outside of Masen's radar and I'd prefer if it stayed that way."

Esme nodded her head. "I understand. Please accept my word that we won't interfere. But may I call, to check on him? Make sure he's doing okay? To see if he needs anything?" she pleaded.

Rosalie felt her heart soften slightly at the desperate tone of Esme's voice. "I don't think that's a good idea, Mrs. Cullen. But I promise, I'll call if I think Edward needs you."

"Thank you, Ms. Hale; I appreciate it more than you can know. And knowing that Edward is okay; well, you've made my day. No, more like my entire month," Esme's lips trembled slightly as she smiled sadly. She reached out and squeezed Rosalie's hand again before exiting the bathroom, already pulling her cell phone out of her purse.

Rosalie stared at the card she held. She wondered what had transpired, what 'lesson' the Cullens had been hoping to impart by kicking Edward out. But did it really matter, that he obviously came from incredible wealth? Not so much, especially when his parents had obviously taken it all away from him. She was more confused than ever and had no idea what the hell she was supposed to do with what she had learned today. She pulled out her own cell phone, wondering if Emmett would have any better insight.

**…**

It had been almost a week since Edward had seen Bella. Well, _talked_ to her, because he saw her every single day. How on God's green earth had he not known she had a kid before? Because he saw her and that kid of hers _everywhere_. At the front door of their building, where he'd watched her ex whisper in her ear and give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek… _fucker_. On the stairway where the kid liked to run and climb faster than her mother could catch her. On the side-street, where her car was parked with a faded plaid car seat in plain view, where he watched her buckle the child in every morning on her way to school.

And he could hear them everywhere, too. Little footsteps upstairs, scampering across the creaking floor. High-pitched giggles in the hallway when they passed his door. Shrieks like the one he'd heard at the doorway because the child seemed to talk in only one volume—extra loud. And even what he was sure was a temper tantrum one evening at bedtime. Yeah, the kid… _Hailey_, he reminded himself…sure had a set of lungs on her.

He heard Bella's voice as well. Calling out her daughter's name when he heard her little footsteps in the hallway. Laughing and giggling with her, Bella's laughter a mellow counter-point to her daughter's high pitched voice. Soothing tones when her daughter was upset. And though he knew full well Bella was capable of anger—it had, after all, been directed at him more than once since they'd met—he never once heard her raise her voice to the little girl.

Just tonight, he'd been behind the two of them on the sidewalk as they walked from Bella's car to the apartment building in the late fall rain. Bella had been carrying her school backpack on one shoulder and one of those bags for all the kid's stuff on her other, all while trying to hold on to her daughter as she walked beside her. The kid looked like she was a handful herself, squealing and trying to jump into every puddle in their path. She'd gotten them both good in the deep one at the end of the sidewalk, splashing water all up and down Bella's jean-clad legs. But instead of yelling and getting pissed like a lot of moms would, Bella had laughed and jumped into the puddle herself, making the little girl shriek with laughter as she was showered with the rainwater.

He'd watched the two of them run up the sidewalk, the little girl shaking herself like a dog on the stoop as Bella pulled out her keys to open the door. When she had the door open, she reached down and scooped up the little girl in her arms to carry her inside. He could still hear their mingled laughter even after the door closed.

He waited until he was sure they were upstairs before he entered the building. He knew that Bella had seen him this week too, but she would always look away if she caught him looking at her. He felt like some sort of inept stalker, always getting caught. He wanted to talk to her, but he knew he couldn't until he knew what he wanted.

Truth was, he had no idea what the hell he wanted. Well, he knew he wanted Bella, but he didn't just _want_ her. For the first time since Bree, he was interested in more with a woman than just sex.

_Bree_. Even thinking her name made him cringe. He'd met Brianna Tanner in his sociology class his sophomore year at Dartmouth. She was pretty and popular, a member of the most exclusive sorority on campus...and for some unfathomable reason, interested in _him_.

Until that point, Edward wasn't used to the attention of women. He'd been far too serious a student in high school, focused solely on getting into Dartmouth. He didn't have time for girls and frankly they hadn't given him the time of day for the most part. He had been tall and gangly, somewhat uncoordinated; a bit of a dork, really. He dated when it was required, attended prom because it was expected, but had never gone out with a girl in whom he was truly interested.

But in college, he'd grown into his physique. He put on the freshman fifteen, although his had been purely muscle; rowing and the workouts it required had honed and developed his form. He stopped slicking back his hair and let it grow out a little. And although he studied hard, he loosened up as well, pledging his father's fraternity as a legacy and finding he enjoyed having a social life. He'd dated a few girls his freshman year, had rounded a few bases that he'd never explored before, but hadn't felt a true connection or interest until he'd met Bree.

Edward had been flattered as hell when Bree pursued him. Their relationship moved at light-speed; they went from first date to home run within the span of a few hours, with Bree guiding him through the loss of his virginity on the couch in the chapter room of her sorority house. After that first encounter, he spent as much time as he could with her, mistaking quantity for quality when it came to her feelings.

Edward had confused lust with love. Bree had no such confusion, sharing her 'love' with two of his fraternity brothers while she also dated Edward. When he confronted those brothers, one had joked that at least she was loyal enough to stay within the frat; Edward had responded by breaking his nose.

After that, there was no love-lust confusion for Edward at all. He buried his feelings for Bree under layers of drink and debauchery. He studied hard. He rowed hard. He played hard. And fast. And loose, both with women and with rules. There was always a girl willing to help him forget and alcohol was an added balm. He had his first on-campus arrest his junior year for defacement of school property. So what if it had been Bree's sorority house? He had his second arrest for drunk and disorderly off-campus, when Bree announced her engagement to one of the fraternity brothers she'd cheated with.

Since Bree, he'd had many girls warm his bed and he'd treated those encounters the same way Bree had treated him. Never serious. Always short-term. Completely casual.

But Bella had made it perfectly clear that she couldn't do casual; no, _wouldn't _do casual. If he was in this, he had to be in it one hundred percent...and that meant with the kid, too.

The thought of the kid scared him to death. Really, what the fuck did he know about kids? He'd been an only child, no cousins or other younger relatives. He'd never even held a baby, certainly never given one a bottle or changed a diaper. Diapers! The idea made him shudder as he thought of Bella's daughter. No way in hell he could handle that. Surely a kid old enough to walk didn't need diapers any more, right?

If he didn't have anything to offer to the kid, what did he have to offer to Bella? A past he was quickly growing ashamed of? A long list of meaningless liaisons, some faces nameless other than 'baby' or 'angel'. Bella was a serious woman, with serious goals and serious responsibilities. She had her shit together.

And he most certainly did not. He was at a crossroads; did he move forward with the life he was starting now, or did he try to get back the life he'd had? Did he _want_ the life he'd had? Because he was pretty sure if he went back to his parents with what he'd done over the past several months, he'd be able to return to the fold, so to speak. God knew he wanted out of this apartment. He wanted his car back, enough money to buy whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it, the luxuries he used to enjoy.

But luxuries at what price? There, he had co-workers and acquaintances. Here, he had friends—Emmett, Rosalie, Jacob, even some of the other guys on the crew. There, he would constantly be under his parents' watchful eye as they waited for him to fuck up again. Here, he had freedom to live his life without interference. There, he had his one-night stands and random hookups. Here, he had...Bella.

And with that thought, he knew. He grabbed his keys and locked his apartment, taking the stairs two at a time. Standing before her door, he raised his hand and knocked, holding his breath as he waited.

He heard the shuffle of footsteps within her apartment, a thud and a soft curse and finally the sound of the deadbolt sliding and the door opening. Bella stood there, clad in a pair of scrub bottoms and an oversized University of Washington sweatshirt, a soft smile on her lips that filled him with hope.

"Come on in, Edward. I've been expecting you."

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><p><strong>Hmmmm, so Rose knows a little about Edward's past, and<em> we<em> know a LOT more about it. Seems like he wasn't always the manwhore we thought he was. Do we maybe understand a little more now why he is the way he is? I mean, it doesn't totally excuse him, but a broken heart can explain a lot, can't it?**

**So, as I always ask, if there was anything in this chapter that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration, please let me know by clicking that link below that says "Review this chapter." Remember, if you have your PMs disabled, I will not be able to respond to your review, and I really enjoy responding to them!**

**Thank you so much for taking the time to read, and especially for reviewing!**

**~ GM**


	10. Chapter 10

**Still don't own Twilight, just an embarrassing amount of Twilight merchandise. Yeah, you're welcome, Stephenie Meyer and Summit.**

**I really put my betas and pre-readers to work on this chapter. There's never any way I can truly show all the appreciation I have for pixiekat7, ScottishRose1028, Billicullen, Onebravelamb, Cullen_Crazy01 and AthomeJo. They are an amazing team, and even better friends!**

**Okay, so usually I answer reviews, and then a day or two later the chapter goes up, right? Well, the last week-and-a-half have been pretty "ugh" around here, and I wanted to go ahead & get this chapter posted, since I left you with a semi-cliffy last time. So if you look forward to my review replies, they will still be coming, I promise!**

**And now, on with the show!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

Edward followed her in to the apartment, looking around for the first time at the place she called home. The layout of her apartment was almost identical to his, although it seemed smaller with the slope of the ceiling in spots. They shared the same alley view and he assumed she had the same street view he did from the bayed bedroom window directly above his.

Her place was somewhat more cluttered, which he supposed he should have expected with an additional person living here, even if that person was little. Evidence of her daughter was everywhere, although the little girl was nowhere in sight at the moment. Over by the kitchen, which did look smaller than his as she had said, stood a pink and green high chair next to the table. There were toys and picture books scattered on the sofa cushions and a brightly colored blanket thrown over one of the arms. A half-full sippy cup sat on the coffee table next to Bella's coffee mug and school books. A well-loved, stuffed lion sat on the chair.

"Sorry, Hailey just went down for the night. I haven't had a chance to clean up yet," Bella said, her cheeks reddening as she noticed his perusal of her space. She leaned down and grabbed the toys and books off the couch, moving them to an oversized bin in the corner. Then she started to babble nervously. "Would you like to sit down? Can I offer you something to drink? I don't have much, but there's water, maybe a soda or a beer hidden in the depths of the fridge. Of course I've got milk, apple juice, white grape juice…" She grabbed the sippy cup and started backing toward the kitchen.

"Milk?" he interrupted with a grin, reaching out for her hand and stopping her retreat. "Apple juice? I don't think I've been offered that since snack time in Boy Scouts."

"You're no Boy Scout, Cullen," Bella replied, bumping her shoulder against his with an embarrassed smile as she set the sippy cup back on the coffee table.

"Actually I was. Eagle Scout, even," he replied, relieved that she was teasing him. Teasing was good. Teasing meant she wanted him there.

"So you're 'always prepared'?" Bella asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Then she wanted to give herself a mental slap for her innuendo when he was here to talk.

"You better believe it, baby," he responded in a low, sexy voice that made her want to grab him by the hair and kiss him again until they were both breathless.

Instead, she went on the defensive. "Ugh, don't call me baby," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Why not?' he asked, surprised. Most girls loved pet names.

"Because I'm highly allergic to insincerity and you calling me baby like that makes me want to throw up," she replied, although she had actually loved him calling her that. If only he actually meant it…

Edward laughed. "Duly noted. For now, I shall call you…"

"Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy," Bella interrupted. She stopped suddenly, looking mortified as she buried her face in her hands.

"Squishy? You object to being called 'baby' and instead you want me to call you _Squishy_?" Edward asked, confused.

"Sorry. Occupational hazard of being a mom, throwing random Disney quotes into everyday conversation," Bella explained. Edward nodded, still looking at her expectantly. "Finding Nemo?" Still a blank look. "Fish are friends, not food?" A shake of his head. "Shark Bait Ooh-Ha-Ha? Oh dear," she muttered, rubbing her hands over her face when he shook his head a second time.

"Bella, have you been drinking?" Edward asked in a serious tone, amusement gleaming in his eyes.

_How. __Freaking. __Embarrassing._ "Oh shut up, you. Why are you here anyway?"

Her question shouldn't have surprised him but it did. He reached up to run his fingers nervously through his hair. "Uh, didn't you say you were expecting me?" he asked, stalling.

"Yeah, it's been hard not to notice you skulking around this week. I actually thought I'd hear from you earlier; I'm surprised that it took you this long," she said with a heavy sigh. "Look, can we sit down for this? It's been a really long week and I'm exhausted."

"Sure thing, Squishy," he said with a nudge of his elbow and a sideways glance at her. He was rewarded with another small smile as she settled against the armrest of the couch, her knees drawn up in front of her and her arms around her legs. Her body language was clear—_keep__your__distance_—so he sat on the other end of the couch with a full cushion between them, although it was definitely not what he wanted.

Edward studied her in the low light of the room. She did look tired, her eyes downcast as she picked at a loose thread on the cuff of her oversized sweatshirt. Her hair was loose, the thick curls acting as a curtain behind which she hid. He wanted to see her so badly he didn't think; he reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear, hoping she didn't notice the way his fingers trembled when he touched the soft skin of her cheek. Bella visibly recoiled at his touch and he withdrew his hand, waiting for her.

After what seemed like endless silence, she finally looked up at him. "So, go ahead," Bella said, her voice weary. "Say what you're here to say."

He wasn't really sure where to start; it wasn't like he'd planned it all out in his head when he'd bolted from his apartment. All he'd known was that he needed to see her, that he was sorry it had taken him so long to get his shit together. Well, that seemed like a logical place to begin.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around this week. Well, I've been _around_, but not really. What happened last weekend, when you told me about you and your," he paused for a moment, swallowing thickly, "about Hailey, well, it gave me a lot to think about," he said, glancing again at the child's things around the apartment. "When you said you were completely responsible for her, that scared the shit out of me."

He took a deep breath and continued, "Bella, I've never been completely responsible for anything or anyone in my life, not even myself. And yet I still managed to screw that up, you know? Lost my job, got kicked out by my folks. I'm nothing more than a twenty-two year old fuck up."

"No you're not!" Bella protested. "Look at all you've accomplished! You graduated from an Ivy League school and despite the horrible thing your parents did to you, you're managing. You've got a place to live, food to eat and a job to provide for both." She reached over and put her hand on his leg, her voice warm and earnest as she defended him. He realized that she sounded proud of him. The thought made his heart soar, and then ache when he realized he didn't deserve her admiration.

"Don't," he said harshly. She withdrew her hand and seemed to curl in on herself even more, which only made him feel guiltier. "Don't try to make me feel better, Bella. I don't deserve it. I've made a lot of really stupid choices in my life and I'm paying for those now. Rightfully so."

Bella wouldn't let him continue to castigate himself. "Edward, you can excuse your parents all you want, but no one deserves to be kicked out of their own home by the people that are supposed to love and support them. Even with all her faults, my mother never would have done that to me. So you made some mistakes; everyone does. It doesn't mean that you don't deserve to have or shouldn't want good things too."

"There are some good things I have no business wanting," he said with a shake of his head, gripping his knees with his fingers so tightly they turned white. It was the only thing that kept him from reaching for her. "I don't do serious. I don't have relationships with women. I've fucked a lot of girls. They were always willing participants, but they never meant anything to me."

She didn't know why it hurt so much, thinking of him with other women. She wasn't exactly a shy, naïve virgin; Jasper certainly hadn't been her first. But all she could think was that neither one of their pasts really mattered at this point. All that mattered was what would happen going forward. "Do you plan to do that with me?" she asked quietly. "Are going to lie to me? Tell me what you think I want to hear? Just fuck me and then leave?"

"Yes? No! I don't know!" he answered, confused and angry with himself for not being able to properly verbalize what he wanted to say.

"I think I do know," Bella replied. "You wouldn't be telling me all of this if you planned to do that, Edward. You'd be feeding me a line about how much you care about me, how you don't care that I have a child, how you're dying to get to know her, all to get closer to me. You're not doing that."

"But I have done things like that," he argued. "Never that specifically, because I've never been with someone that has had a kid. But I've said and done a lot of things I didn't mean to get what I wanted from women. It's all I know. Even if I want to, I can't promise I'll be able to change for you."

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts before opening them and speaking. "You're trying to convince me that you're a bad guy, but I know why you're doing it. This," she gestured between the two of them, "is just too complicated for you. Do you think you're the first to turn tail and run when you found out I have a kid?"

She thought that _she_was the problem? "Bella, you're wrong. That's not what I'm trying to say," Edward argued, moving closer to her, reaching out and cupping her cheek in his hand, his heart racing when she pressed back into his palm. "I have spent this week thinking about how someone else, _anyone_ else, would be better for you. That there are good men out there who will take care of you and care for you. That I need to walk away and let you find that man without my interference in your life."

Bella shook her head minutely, squeezing her eyes shut as disappointment overwhelmed her. She couldn't look at him, couldn't stand to see the sympathetic look in his eyes as he told her he didn't want to see her again. "Just say it, okay? I can handle it."

His voice was deeper now, rougher as he cupped her other cheek as well. "Bella, I can't stand the thought of you in anyone's arms but mine. I don't want anyone else kissing you. I know we've only known each other a little while, but I want you. I want this. I want this so fucking much."

Bella couldn't believe what she was hearing. He wasn't running, he wasn't leaving; he wanted to be with her. She looked up at him through her lashes, her eyes shimmering with tears. "So do I, Edward," she whispered.

Edward groaned, leaning down and capturing her lips in a soft, sweet kiss. A nagging voice in his head told him he was doing the wrong thing, but when Bella's mouth opened beneath his and her tongue hesitantly touched his lower lip, he pushed those thoughts aside and kissed her the way he'd wanted to since he left her the previous weekend.

Bella wound her arms around his neck and sighed with pleasure as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss and wrapping her in his arms. "Mmm, Bella. God, I've missed this," he moaned.

"Me too," she confessed quietly. "I just can't believe you're here, that you're staying. I thought for sure this didn't stand a chance."

"I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me to," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her again.

"Not likely, although I should slap you silly for making me think you were saying goodbye," she muttered between kisses, tangling her fingers in his hair.

"No you shouldn't. Make love, not war," he whispered with a grin.

Bella couldn't help but smile in return, her heart feeling lighter than it had in some time. But even though they had made some progress, she knew that she wouldn't be comfortable until they had at least put some sort of label on what they were doing here. She slowed their kisses until they were exchanging long, drawn out pecks. She snuggled against his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his chest as she sprawled half across his lap.

"So where does this leave us?" Bella asked, repeating the question she'd asked last week.

Edward shrugged his shoulders, his hand caressing her hair. "I don't think we know each other well enough to really define anything yet. I like you, Bella. I think you're intelligent, witty, charming and beautiful. How about we just kinda let things happen and see where this leads?"

"All right," she agreed softly, tilting her head back and pulling him down towards her so that they could share another kiss. "But before we go any further, I want to clear something up and lay a couple of ground rules, okay?" She waited for his nod before continuing. "First of all, I'm really, really sorry for how I told you about Hailey, blurting it out like that. It was really unfair of me. I should have told you when we started talking about our lives and our families, before we started getting involved. I'm not ashamed of her at all and I'm not embarrassed about being a single mom, but I'm pretty guarded about that part of my life and who I expose my daughter to," she said.

Edward tucked her hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Bella, you already explained why you didn't tell me about Hailey and I understand. You don't share your personal life with people that you barely know, and let's face it, we didn't exactly get off on the right foot with one another," he said with a chuckle. "Unless, of course, your phone number really is 1-206-FUCK-OFF?" He smiled when she laughed as well.

"I'll admit I was pissed when I found out there was a whole part of your life, a really important part of your life, that you didn't share with me. I mean, how can I know your favorite color and how you take your coffee, but not know that you have a kid? And I kinda felt stupid that I'd never noticed the two of you together, because you guys aren't exactly invisible around the apartment building. But you've really got nothing to apologize for."

"Well, thanks for that. I will promise to be honest with you from now on," she vowed quietly, eyes downcast.

Edward felt a twinge of unease at her words, knowing he wasn't exactly forthcoming about his own past, but he shoved the feeling aside. "You mentioned ground rules?" he asked to redirect his thoughts.

"Well the first one is because we're not really sure what we are yet. I don't want to confuse Hailey by labeling us something we're not comfortable with yet. I want to introduce you to her as a neighbor, a friend, which means no obvious PDAs in front of her, no spending the nights together when I've got her, stuff like that," Bella answered, hoping he would understand that such things would just upset Hailey.

Edward wasn't thrilled about the restrictions, but could understand the need with her daughter around. "Yeah, that's fine, although if things progress I hope we can revisit that rule. Didn't you say that her dad has a steady girlfriend?"

Bella nodded, her heart fluttering a little at the thought of being Edward's 'steady girlfriend' and wondering if they'd ever get to that point.

"All right. Any other ground rules you want to talk about?" he asked, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, surprised that he felt more settled and contented than he had all week long.

Bella nodded again, keeping her gaze on her hands where her fingers traced patterns on his forearm. "Yeah. If we're going to try this, see where it leads like you say, I want to be the only one in your life while we're seeing one another. I'm not asking for a long-term commitment right now, but I won't be one of several that you're exploring things with," Bella said hesitantly, afraid it was a condition upon which he wasn't willing to compromise, but one she wasn't willing to concede, both for Hailey's sake and her own.

"Exclusivity is preferable for me as well," Edward agreed, thinking of Bree. "I missed that day in kindergarten where they taught us that sharing is caring."

Bella chuckled, relieved and yet still uncertain. "But you do have to share me," she reminded him softly.

He reached down and grasped her chin, raising her face so that she had to look up at him, his eyes filled with confusion. "I thought you said that Hailey's father was out of the picture?" he asked. He remembered their soft words and embrace in the hallway and wondered if perhaps things weren't quite as settled as she'd led him to believe.

"Jasper is very much in the picture when it comes to raising Hailey, but we don't have any romantic feelings for one another," Bella confirmed. "When I say that you have to share me, I mean that you have to share me with Hailey. I'm a single mom; I come with a child that I often have twenty-four hours a day. Are you going to be able to handle that?"

Edward felt relief swamp him. "As I said before, I've never been in this situation before, so it's going to be a learning experience for me. I hope I'm mature enough to manage, although I can understand why you'd doubt that."

"I don't doubt you, Edward," Bella protested. "It's just not going to be easy. I'm in school during the days, I work some evenings or have study group and I have Hailey others. Time alone is going to be at a premium. I'm not trying to scare you off, but I'm trying to let you know that it could be rough."

Edward shrugged his shoulders again. "If it's important to us, we'll manage, right? I work full time and sometimes overtime at a really physical job. It's not like I want to go out clubbing and drinking every night at the end of a hard work day. I went to school too and I remember the demands, so if you need to study, then you study. We'll make time when we can. I mean, it's not always going to be like this, is it?"

The look of animated horror on his face was so comical that Bella couldn't stop herself from laughing. "No, Edward, I already told you I'm not going to be a student and a waitress forever. Once I graduate I expect to have a regular job with semi-regular hours. But graduation is still six months away and I've got finals coming up in just a couple of weeks and my capstone courses next semester along with clinicals. This is probably the worst time ever for me to start dating again."

"I don't care, I still want to try," he said, giving her another lengthy kiss that made her toes curl. "But really, how _do_ you manage school, working and a kid? I mean, you're graduating in five years, which is pretty typical any more. How'd you manage that with Hailey thrown in the mix?" Edward asked curiously. He really did admire all that she was able to do, even if it did concern him when it came to any relationship they were going to try to have.

"Well, I did a year of community college back near my hometown to make it a little more affordable. I had already been in the nursing program for a year when I got pregnant. Hailey was born in May, at the end of the semester, but my professors allowed me to take my exams early. I had three months off with her over the summer break and when I went back to school again in the fall I had to take a lighter load because I needed to work more, which added a year to my schooling, even with grants and financial aid. I make it work, but it's not always easy, especially when it comes to finding money for everything I need for school and for Hailey."

"Doesn't her dad pay support or something?" Edward asked, not sure if he was overstepping by asking.

"Yes, but because we share custody, it's not very much. Plus he's just out of college and starting his career himself; it's not like he's a millionaire or anything."

Edward felt his unease grow as he thought of the trust fund he would have inherited if his parents hadn't kicked him out; his share of the Masen fortune would have made him a millionaire several times over. Well, it was a moot point now, because there was no way Esme and Carlisle were going to change their minds and he wasn't about to grovel and bend to their wills now, not when freedom was so sweet and came with such amazing benefits.

He watched her stifle a yawn and smiled. "You're tired and it's late; you should get some rest."

"I am tired; like I said, it's been a long week. What are you doing tomorrow?" she asked.

"Spending the day with you and Hailey?" he replied tentatively.

"Mmm, good answer," she said, curving her hand around his neck and pulling him down for another kiss. "Do you want us to come get you when we're up and ready?"

"Sure," he replied. "Are we talking breakfast, lunch, what time?"

"Lunch time. She's an early bird, but I won't subject you to a Hailey wake-up call. It's bad enough I don't get to sleep in, like _ever_, on my weekends," Bella laughed.

Her statement reminded Edward that she had child-free weekends as well and he wondered how soon was too soon to hope forsleepovers. He tried to push the thought from his mind. "Walk me to the door?" he asked instead.

Bella moved off his lap and then accepted his hand when he rose from the couch, following him the few steps to the front door. She didn't hesitate when he reached for her, rising on her tippy toes and wrapping her arms around his neck as his lips sought hers in another passionate kiss. They were both gasping for breath by the time they separated and Bella wanted nothing more than to grab him by the collar and pull him back inside the apartment.

He pressed one more soft kiss to her lips. "Sweet dreams, Bella," he said in a husky voice as he backed away slowly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Edward," she breathed, watching until he disappeared out of sight.

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><p><strong>There was a lot of speculation regarding Edward's decision and their conversation, sooooooo... your thoughts? Was there anything that made you smile, laugh, sigh, or even growl in frustration? You know I'm dying to hear what you think! If I haven't heard from you before, why not? Go ahead, click that little "Review this Chapter" button below and introduce yourself and let me know what you think. I don't bite...too hard at least :) And if you're a new reader, please let me know where you found the story. I had a huge influx of alerts this week and would love to thank whomever recced the story!<strong>

**Thanks so much for taking the time to read!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I still don't own the rights to Twilight and frankly, I don't expect to receive them for the holidays,either. But I don't need any prezzies, because the best gift I have is my TISitY team! My betas ScottishRose1028 and PixieKat7 are amazing, and my pre-reading team of AthomeJo, Cullen_Crazy01, BilliCullen, and OneBraveLamb are fantastic! Love all of you so much, ladies!**

**I apologize for the late update, and for updating AGAIN without answering reviews - it's been awfully busy in the GM household getting ready for the holidays. I will be taking time over the next few days to do review responses and to write ahead, so this will be the last post for 2011. **

**Read on, and join me at the bottom!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

Edward woke with Bella on his mind and prominent morning wood tenting his boxers. When flashes of the erotic dream he'd been having about Bella flooded his mind, he knew exactly why his erection was throbbing. He lazily reached down and palmed his cock through his boxers as he thought of their kisses from the night before and the way she'd felt in his arms. God, she'd tasted so good; sweet with a hint of spicy warmth that he was beginning to associate with Bella.

Soon, memories of the previous weekend, with her straddling and grinding herself on him, had him moaning and reaching beneath the cloth to grasp his needy flesh. There was enough pre-cum on his tip that he didn't need any lotion or lube as he stroked himself to the memory of the sight, feel and taste of Bella.

He recalled how she looked across his lap, shirtless, her head thrown back as he had worshiped her tits. She didn't have the biggest rack he'd ever seen, but her breasts were a good-sized handful, with pretty pink nipples that were so damn responsive that he felt his shaft leak even more at the mere thought of how they had hardened under his fingers and beneath his tongue.

He imagined what would have happened if they hadn't stopped; his fingers undoing the button on her jeans and reaching beneath to find satin and lace wet with her arousal for him. He bet she would have the prettiest pussy he'd ever seen, and based on her scent alone he just knew that she would be delicious, panting and writhing beneath his mouth and tongue. He could almost feel the touch of her hands as she helped to remove his jeans and boxers, as desperate to be joined with him as he was with her. He figured she'd be tight, too, as he fantasized about her warmth wrapped snugly around his cock while she rode him on the couch.

Those thoughts and images were the ones to push him over the edge and he let out a prolonged moan as he shot his load into his waiting hand. He was sweating and breathing raggedly, not able to remember the last time a solo session had felt so good as it had with Bella on his mind.

He was afraid he'd have to get used to the solo sessions if he was going to be serious about this thing with her, what with the presence of the kid. _Hailey_, he reminded himself, _her __name __is __Hailey_. He didn't figure it would go over so well with Bella if he kept referring to her daughter as 'the kid.' He reached for a discarded tee shirt to clean up his mess and then decided with a groan to go ahead and get up; he really needed a shower now and desperately craved a cup of coffee.

After showering and attempting but failing to tame his hair, he sorted through his clothes, trying to decide what to wear today. He had no idea what they would be doing, but he assumed whatever it was would be casual with a child in tow. He settled on one of his nicer pairs of button-fly jeans, a black tee shirt and a somewhat wrinkled, white button-down. He rolled up the sleeves and left it untucked for a more casual look.

He grabbed his heaviest coat, remembering how cold it had been yesterday on the worksite. He could hardly believe it was nearing the end of November—he'd already been on his own for almost three months. He wondered fleetingly what his parents would think if they could see him now and he felt the familiar flare of hurt and anger as he thought of them. He wondered if they'd be even the slightest bit proud of what he'd accomplished so far and what they'd think of Bella. He quickly pushed those thoughts from his mind.

He walked down the street towards the coffee shop, his shoulders hunched and his hands in his pockets as he tried to stay warm in the cold dampness of the late morning. Despite the chill, he realized it was going to be a beautiful day, with weak rays of sunshine brightening the morning. When he entered the coffee shop he suddenly wondered if Bella would like a cup of coffee as well, but when he pulled out his cell phone to call her, he realized he didn't actually have her phone number.

He checked the clock and decided that it was close enough to lunch to qualify as the time Bella said she would see him today. _Yeah, __sure __Cullen. __Five __after __ten __is __lunchtime. __Not __even __at __McDonald's._ Ignoring the voice of reason that tried to warn him otherwise, Edward purchased a second coffee and doctored it up the way he knew Bella liked it. His return walk was completed in half the time; he told himself it was to keep the coffee from getting too cold. He bypassed his own apartment completely and climbed the staircase and headed straight for Bella's, juggling the two cups of coffee so that he could knock on her door.

After a few moments, he heard the deadbolt being unlocked and watched the doorknob slowly turn. He looked expectantly at the approximate spot where he should see Bella's face, but the door only opened about two inches before it was stopped by a chain at his eye level.

"Hi!" a bright voice said with a giggle, and Edward looked down past the doorknob to see one Bella-like eye peeking at him from behind the door. He could see Hailey's wild blonde curls fluffed around her face.

"Hi, Hailey," Edward said in a gentle voice, using her first name and trying to sound friendly. "Is your Mommy here?"

"Mama shaw," Hailey answered.

Edward was confused. "Shaw?" he asked, having no idea what she meant.

"Shaw," Hailey confirmed, nodding her head emphatically, her curls bouncing.

"Okay," Edward said, still not knowing what she had told him. "May I come in please, Hailey?" he asked, softly again, smiling at the little girl.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Hailey screeched in her loudest voice, putting all her strength into slamming the door, which even with only a two inch gap rattled on its hinges. He could hear her continue to yell "No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!" inside. He stood there stunned, not sure what to do now.

He heard Bella shouting Hailey's name in a frantic voice from within the apartment. Hailey's voice quieted slightly, although she kept saying, "No," over and over again. He could hear the soothing tone of Bella's voice even though he couldn't make out the words, and he raised his hand to knock again.

"Who is it?" Bella called out without opening the door.

"Uh, it's Edward," he replied, feeling foolish now for not waiting for her to come to him as she had said she would the night before.

He heard the sound of the chain scraping against the lock before the door opened again. Bella stood before him, shivering in a lightweight robe, her hair wet and dripping onto her shoulders and soaking through the fabric. She tightened the tie on her robe and crossed her arms to ward off the cool draft coming from the hallway. "Edward, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised and pleased by his appearance at her door.

He was nearly speechless at the sight of her. Apparently 'shaw' in toddler-speak meant 'shower,' and damned if Bella didn't look absolutely sinful in nothing but the silky deep purple robe that reached just above her knees. He swallowed thickly when his eyes dropped down and he could see her nipples pressing stiffly against the smooth fabric.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Bella. I just stopped at the coffee shop and I thought maybe you would want a cup too, but I don't have your number and so I just…and then I knocked…and then I said…and then she started…uh, don't you think you should put something on?" he blurted all at once, wondering if any of what he had just said made any sense to her whatsoever.

Bella's eyes suddenly narrowed and she turned to look down over her shoulder. "Hailey Johanna, did you open the door?" she asked in a stern voice.

"No," Hailey answered innocently, her voice coming from behind Bella. Edward saw Hailey peek out from behind Bella, her big brown eyes wide as she stared up at him. She shook her head for added emphasis, those damned adorable curls of hers bouncing as she answered again, "No no, Mama."

"Hailey, don't lie to me," Bella said with a warning tone. "Why was the door unlocked when I opened it just now? Did you open the door while I was in the shower?"

Edward watched with growing horror as Hailey's little face crumpled, her lower lip jutting out in an exaggerated pout as tears filled her eyes. "Sowwy!" Hailey wailed loudly, sobbing and burying her face in Bella's robe as her little shoulders heaved with the force of her cries.

"Oh God, Bella, I'm so sorry," Edward stammered helplessly as the little girl continued to cry, wrapping her arms tightly around Bella's knees. He had no idea what the hell to do.

"No, it's fine, Edward," Bella said, trying to be heard over Hailey's theatrics. "I've been trying to teach Hailey about safety and she knows she's not supposed to open the door herself, right Hailey?" Bella asked, setting off a fresh round of tears from the toddler.

She pried Hailey's arms loose and knelt down on the ground, holding the little girl's face between her palms as she wiped at her tears with her thumbs. "It's okay baby, you just need to follow the rules and be a good girl, right? Momma wants you to be safe." Hailey nodded solemnly as she tucked her thumb into her mouth. "Why don't you go pick out your clothes for today, okay?"

"Dwess?" Hailey asked, her voice suddenly animated again.

"Of course," Bella said with a smile, watching as Hailey scampered off to the bedroom as quickly as her footed pajamas would allow, her tears disappearing and her good mood restored.

Bella straightened up and couldn't stop the giggle that escaped when she saw the look on Edward's face. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights, too stunned to move or react as he watched the bedroom doorway into which Hailey had just disappeared. "Second thoughts, Edward?" she asked, keeping her voice light and teasing even as she asked the question seriously.

He seemed startled by her question. "Uh, no, no second thoughts," he replied slowly, turning back to look at Bella. His eyes narrowed and smoldered when he noticed that her satiny robe was sliding off of one shoulder.

Bella noticed his gaze and blushed as she pulled the robe up before she flashed the entire hallway, securing the tie once again.

"Here's your coffee," Edward said abruptly holding the cup out to her before his impulses took over and he grabbed her and stripped her of the robe entirely. "I'll just go and…yeah, just let me know when you're ready," he mumbled, acutely embarrassed by the difficulties he'd caused this morning.

"It shouldn't take long, about twenty minutes, okay? We just need to get dressed," she replied.

"Okay," he said, grateful she still seemed to want to see him after he'd upset her daughter so much.

Bella quickly glanced over her shoulder and seeing Hailey nowhere in sight, reached up to grasp the back of Edward's neck with her free hand and pulled him down toward her for a good-morning kiss. She sighed in welcome as his lips opened and his tongue surged forward, sliding against and greeting hers with a flavor that was coffee, mint toothpaste and something warm and erotic that was undeniably Edward. She kissed him for as long as she dared, knowing that Hailey could come out any moment now.

"Maaaaamaaaa!" Hailey shouted from the other room, drawing Bella's attention.

"I'd better go see what she needs," Bella said, pressing one last, lingering kiss to his lips before pulling away reluctantly. "Thanks for the coffee."

"An…any time," he stuttered, feeling his cheeks heat in an uncharacteristic blush when she grinned at him. "I'll see you in a little while downstairs."

Almost exactly twenty minutes later, there was a knock on Edward's door, which he opened almost instantly. Standing outside his door in a pair of dark-wash jeans and a red sweater that hugged her curves stood Bella, her hair still slightly damp and arranged loose and wavy around her shoulders. She also wore a pair of low-heeled boots that went up to her knees and made her legs look long and slim.

Bella had the baby bag on one shoulder and Hailey propped on the opposite hip. Edward noted with a smile that Hailey wore a light blue corduroy jumper, a striped turtleneck sweater underneath and black tights with green and yellow flowers on them. On her feet she wore fuzzy pink boots and her curls were pulled back into a ponytail tied with an orange ribbon with pumpkins on it. Hailey's head was lying on Bella's shoulder, facing back toward the door so that Edward couldn't see her face.

"Well, don't you ladies look beautiful. Please, come in for a few minutes," Edward commented, opening the door wider and ushering them into his apartment, glad he'd kept up on his housekeeping since he'd had Bella in his apartment two weeks ago. He smiled at Hailey as Bella passed him, and Hailey snuggled her face into Bella's neck, her thumb going to her mouth as it had in Bella's apartment just a short while ago.

Bella's smile was beautiful as she walked over to the couch to take a seat. She moved to put Hailey down, but Hailey continued to cling to her, her thumb firmly tucked into her mouth. Bella held Hailey on her lap and gestured to Edward. "Hailey, this is our friend, Mr. Cullen. Can you say 'hi'?"

Hailey looked at Edward for a brief moment and then shook her head and buried her face in Bella's shoulder again, her arms holding tightly to her neck. Bella was concerned by Hailey's reaction to Edward; she was normally so friendly and outgoing. It finally made sense when Hailey whispered "stan-ger" in her ear—she thought that Edward was dangerous because she hadn't known him when she opened the door.

Edward watched the light of recognition dawn in Bella's eyes as she coaxed, "No, Sweet Pea, Mr. Cullen is not a stranger just because he was at the door. He's our friend. Please be nice and say hello."

Hailey shook her head again, refusing to move her face from the cover of Bella's hair where she'd hidden herself. Bella sent Edward a sad and sympathetic look and shrugged her free shoulder.

"It's okay," Edward said softly, running his fingers through his hair. Yeah, he'd fucked it up by showing up at the door this morning; now Hailey thought he was someone to fear. What was he supposed to do now? He had no idea what to say or how to act with Hailey, and if Bella didn't know, then he really was in deep shit. "So what did you want to do today?" he asked, noting that they both had their coats.

"Well, even though it's a little cool outside, it's supposed to be a dry day for once. I was planning to take Hailey to Woodland Park Zoo?" Bella said.

Hailey looked up at her mother with wide eyes. "Thoo?" she asked around her thumb.

"Yes, the zoo. Do you want to go see the animals?"

Hailey nodded excitedly, clapping her hands.

"Mr. Cullen is going to go with us," Bella said, nodding toward Edward. "Will you say hi to him now?" she asked.

Hailey looked up at Edward again and he was surprised by the depth of her gaze; she truly appeared to be studying him and sizing him up. He was almost uncomfortable under her unblinking stare. She finally raised one hand towards him and opened and closed her fingers twice.

"That was 'hi'," Bella interpreted when Hailey laid her head back against Bella's shoulder once again and tucked her thumb back into her mouth. Edward mimicked the gesture, minus the thumb-sucking of course, and earned a small smile from the little girl. "Did you want to head out now?" Edward asked Bella.

"Sure, just let us get our coats on." She smiled at Edward when he assisted her.

Hailey fought putting her coat on as usual and absolutely refused to put on her hat until Bella reminded her about being outdoors to see the animals. She also refused to walk down to the car, so Bella held her on her hip as she fished around in her purse for her keys.

"Would you mind driving?" Bella asked, holding the keys out to Edward. It was so rare that she wasn't behind the wheel that she wanted to enjoy just riding in the car for once.

Edward smiled widely as he accepted them. He missed his car and hated riding the bus, bumming a ride with anyone from work rather than taking public transport. He used the keys to open both her door and Hailey's with a flourish. He familiarized himself with the vehicle while she strapped Hailey into the complicated looking car seat. While Bella's car had definitely seen better days, she kept it clean and obviously well-cared for. He envied her for simply having the freedom to go where she wanted when she wanted to, regardless of the bus schedule. He gave her another smile when she slid into the seat next to him and buckled her seatbelt.

"Woodland Park Zoo?" Edward asked, a trace of doubt in his voice. It definitely wasn't a place he would have thought to go. He didn't think he'd been there since an elementary school field trip, but he was willing to give it a go if it meant spending time with Bella.

"Thoo!" Hailey crowed from the back seat and Bella laughed and relaxed a little as Edward pulled out into traffic. She liked the way he looked behind the wheel of her car, confident and a little cocky.

Edward insisted on dropping Bella and Hailey off at the zoo entrance, helping Bella wrangle the stroller from the trunk of the car before driving off to park it. When he returned to the entrance, he pulled out his wallet to pay for the tickets and frowned when Bella handed him his pass. "Bella…"

"The zoo was my idea, my treat and I'm sure you'd rather be somewhere else. Hailey's young enough to be free, and besides, I've had a two-for-one coupon forever, but no two-fer to use it with," she said, nudging his shoulder with hers. She busied herself unfolding the map, trying to hide her blush behind it.

Edward turned to look at her and thought she looked so adorable that had to remind himself they agreed to no obvious PDAs in front of her daughter. "Bella? I'll be your two-fer any time," he said with a wink.

The mood light-hearted again, they set off to explore the zoo. Edward was surprised that he enjoyed it as much as he did. Well, it wasn't necessarily the zoo itself that he enjoyed; it was the time with Bella that he found so pleasurable. He found small ways to connect with her, guiding her with his hand on the small of her back, tucking her hair behind her ear, laying his hand on top of hers for brief moments while she pushed the stroller.

He also enjoyed watching Hailey's reaction to all the animals. He didn't know much about children, but Bella's daughter seemed incredibly smart for her age. At nearly every display, she'd ask Bella "Whazzit?" and when Bella would respond with the name of the animal, Hailey would try to repeat it. There were occasionally some hilarious results—after all, what twenty-month old can say 'armadillo'?—but for the most part Hailey was able to copy the sounds.

About halfway through the zoo he tried to buy lunch for them, but Bella had planned ahead and had food and drinks for all of them packed in her bag. He watched Bella interact with her daughter as she fed Hailey, the little girl always happy and animated unless her gaze fell upon Edward. He caught her looking at him frequently, always with a solemn look on her face and he couldn't help but feel that if she was judging him, he was coming up short in her estimation.

After they finished their picnic lunch, Bella announced it was time to go see the lions and tigers. Hailey's squeals of excitement grew louder as they approached the exhibit and Bella was glad she was having such a good time. The big cats were by far Hailey's favorites and she was transfixed by the sight of the tigers and lions as they roamed their enclosures. Bella took advantage of her daughter's distraction to slip her arm around Edward's waist and give him a squeeze, her fingertips splayed across his ribcage beneath his jacket.

"Having a good time?" he asked, sliding his arm around her in return and rubbing her back.

"Yes, I am. Thanks for being such a good sport about this," she said, leaning against him.

"About spending the day with you? Yeah you know, it does totally suck but someone's gotta do it," he joked, yelping when she pinched his ass in retaliation.

"Wow, that was very manly, Cullen," Bella teased.

"Well, that hurt," he whined, rubbing the spot. "I think I'll probably have a mark, you brute."

"What if I kiss it and make it all better?" Bella asked in a low voice, her eyes dark.

"Here at the zoo? Miss Swan, this is a family establishment," Edward replied in a mock indignant voice, all the while trying desperately to control his physical response to the innuendo in her voice.

Bella laughed and stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Are you crazy? One, it's too cold and two, no one gets a look at that fine ass but me, remember?"

"Well you're right, it is pretty fine. Wait, does that mean you want to look at it?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, shaking his backside and making her laugh.

"Duh. I thought we established that last night. And last weekend. Was I kissing someone who just looks remarkably like you or something?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Edward's hands settled on her hips, squeezing lightly as he pulled her closer. "Definitely not, that was all me. I just wasn't sure, with our ground rules and all," he said with a nod toward Hailey, who had stopped looking at the lions and was instead was watching them with avid fascination.

"Oops," Bella said, but kept her arms around Edward's neck and smiled down at her daughter.

"Mama, up!" Hailey demanded suddenly, squirming in her seat and reaching for Bella as she started to cry. Loudly.

Bella quickly disengaged herself from their embrace and bent down to release Hailey from her stroller. "What's the matter, Sweet Pea?" she asked, checking her over to make sure that nothing obvious was wrong.

Hailey stuck her thumb in her mouth again and laid her head against Bella's shoulder, her eyes glistening with tears as she watched Edward. "Mama mine," she said, her lower lip jutted out in a pout.

Bella's eyes widened with surprise when she realized that Hailey was jealous. "Hailey, Mama can have other friends, just like Daddy does."

"Mama mine!" Hailey repeated loudly, wrapping her arms around Bella's neck even tighter, her little eyes tightening in a glare at Edward.

Edward had seen that look before, in Bella's eyes when he had pissed her off at the coffee shop. Hailey had decided that she didn't like him. Somehow, he didn't think he'd be able to smooth this over with a gift card and some pretty words. He was _sooo_ fucked, and not in a good way.

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><p><strong>So it doesn't appear that Edward's charm is working so well on the opinionated Miss Hailey! Wonder what he's going to do about that?<strong>

**If there's anything in this chapter that made you smile, sigh, laugh, or even growl in frustration, I'd love to hear about it. Please click that little blue button below that says "Review This Chapter" and let me know your thoughts!**

**I wish you the happiness of the season for whatever holiday you may (or may not) be celebrating. For me, that's a Merry Christmas! Thanks so much for reading!**

**~ GM**


	12. Chapter 12

**During my three week hiatus, Stephenie Meyer ceded control of the entire Twilight universe to me! Can you believe it? Yeah, me either. She still owns it all.**

**So yeah, I was going to take a week off, answer reviews and get writing ahead...and that soooo didn't happen! For a host of patently unimportant reasons this chapter was difficult to get out. It's a little shorter than usual, but it does what it set out to accomplish!**

**So much love goes out to my beta/pre-reading team of pixiekat7, ScottishRose1028, AtHome Jo, BilliCullen, Cullen_Crazy01 and Onebravelamb. These ladies, along with a few select others, help me hold it together when it feels like things are falling apart. Love you all, my wonderful ladies!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

"_Mama mine!"_

Bella tried to brush off Hailey's words as she patted her daughter's back in a reassuring manner. "Yes, Sweet Pea. Mama is yours, but Mama has friends, too."

"Nooooooo!" Hailey started wailing loudly, her mouth so near Bella's ear that her shriek left her ears ringing. "No, Mama! No! No! No!"

"Hailey Johanna, you need to calm down," Bella said sternly in the no-nonsense tone that usually worked with her toddler. She quickly realized that neither her words nor her tone were effective and noted with embarrassment that they were starting to garner the attention of the other zoo patrons as Hailey's tantrum escalated. She glanced quickly at Edward, who stood behind the stroller, staring at the little girl with wide eyes and looking a little dumbstruck by Hailey's behavior.

Bella was flummoxed herself. She was accustomed to short Hailey tantrums about clothing, food, bed and bath time; however, this was easily gearing up into the biggest tantrum Hailey'd had with her yet. She bent over to place the squirming, screaming child back into the stroller, but Hailey clung to her like a spider monkey, her arms and legs tight around Bella. There was no way Bella could strap her back in without using force, and she didn't want to make even more of a scene than they already were.

"What can I do?" Edward asked helplessly, having to raise his voice to be heard over Hailey's screams.

Bella shook her head. "Unfortunately, nothing," she answered, embarrassed by the stares of the other families at the zoo and stressed beyond belief that Hailey would choose now of all times to do this. "Is it okay with you if we leave?" she almost shouted.

Edward nodded quickly, a look of relief on his face as he grabbed the stroller by the handles and turned it back around toward the entrance. Edward's legs were long and he was apparently in as big of a hurry as she was; Bella could barely keep up with his stride. She ignored the pitying looks from other parents as Hailey continued to cry and cling to her, her shoulders and back already aching from hauling the sturdy and thrashing little girl through the zoo.

Once they made it through the exit gate, Bella felt herself relax just a little bit even though Hailey was still in mid-meltdown, knowing that they would be home soon. "Do you…" Edward started to ask, flinching when Hailey screamed even louder. "Do you want me to get the car?" he said over the din.

"Yes, please," Bella said, wanting to weep with relief at the thought of unburdening her arms. He left the stroller by her side and she watched as Edward crossed the lot, her head pounding from the adrenaline rush caused by their hasty trek through the zoo and Hailey's continued cries.

Edward pulled up and quickly opened the door for Bella. Hailey did not want to be buckled into her car seat and started screeching even louder when Bella tried to close the door after she was belted in. Bella quickly folded down the stroller and stowed it in the trunk, and then glanced between the front and back seats, gnawing her bottom lip in indecision.

"Go ahead, sit with her," Edward said.

Bella smiled gratefully and then climbed into the back seat to sit beside her wailing daughter.

The ride back to the apartment complex was strained. When Hailey fell into an exhausted slumber a mile or so down the road, Bella glanced up at the rearview mirror to find Edward looking back at her. The red light they were stopped at turned to green, and Edward's gaze moved away and he continued the drive. She noted that his jaw was tense and his brow furrowed. His fingers tapped an unknown rhythm against the steering wheel, as though he was trying to dispel nervous energy.

Back at the apartment, Edward parked the car in her spot in the alley, his eyes avoiding hers as he opened her door. Bella groaned softly as she leaned over and lifted Hailey out of the car seat, the little girl dead weight in her arms. Edward shouldered the diaper bag and closed and opened doors as they ascended the stairs to her apartment, unlocking the door and stepping aside to allow them entry.

"Come in, please?" Bella asked as he hovered in the doorway, an indecisive look on his face.

Edward nodded wordlessly and stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind him and standing near it, making no move to enter further into the room.

"Let me go lay her down. I'll be just a minute," Bella said. She took Hailey into the bedroom and laid her in her crib, brushing her silky curls from her forehead, studying her daughter's tear-stained face.

Bella herself wanted to cry. She'd had this optimistic picture in her mind of how today would go, with Hailey charming Edward and vice-versa, the three of them enjoying a fun outing at the zoo. A well-behaved Hailey was nearly impossible to resist, but temper-tantrum throwing Hailey was enough to make even her devoted mother want to scream in frustration. How was Edward, someone who had no experience with kids, expected to handle her little angel's inner-monster?

She sighed heavily; hiding in here wasn't doing her any good. She pressed a kiss to her fingertips and brushed them across Hailey's cheek and then covered her with a light blanket. She closed the bedroom door on her way out and found Edward still standing near the door as he had been when she went into the bedroom. He looked to her like he was ready to bolt at any moment.

"Will you sit on the couch with me so we can talk?" she asked, feeling only slightly relieved when he nodded wordlessly. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, I'm good," he said, his voice sounding raspy, moving toward the couch and sitting on one end. She wanted to sit next to him, but instead perched on the edge of the couch, ready to jump up at any time. It reminded her of the last night, when she'd been so sure that he'd come up stairs to tell her he didn't want to see her again. Suddenly, her self-doubt kicked in. He'd already expressed his worry about how to handle dating someone with a child. Maybe this time he really was going to tell her goodbye.

"Look, Edward, I'm sure that spending a boring day at the zoo with a grumpy and possessive toddler wasn't exactly your ideal date," she mumbled, looking down at her lap. "I know we said we'd try, but really we can just forget about this and go back to being friends or acquaintances or whatever the hell we were before…"

She felt the cushion shift and Edward's fingers were suddenly under her chin, forcing her face up so their eyes could meet. "Bella? Shut up," Edward said, covering her mouth with his.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him and returning the kiss with fervor. It wasn't the reaction she'd expected when she'd offered him the out, but she was already too close to being too far gone with this man; she didn't care. She'd gladly take what he offered her while he offered it, and deal with the emotional consequences later.

Edward could feel the edge of desperation in their embrace, the way Bella kissed him as though it might be for the very last time. He slowed the kiss, using his fingertips to softly trace the contours of her face as he gentled his lips. A few moments later, he pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against hers, their noses touching as they both tried to regain their breath.

"So, you've survived your first Hailey hurricane," Bella said in a conversational tone, as if they hadn't just been kissing the daylights out of one another moments ago. "And you haven't run away…yet. But the instinct to jump ship is strong, isn't it?"

"I'm so in over my head," Edward admitted as he sat back and swept a palm over his face. "Bella, she hates me, and I don't know how to overcome that," he said in a quiet voice, his hand shifting to run his fingers through his hair. "They say that kids and dogs are the best judges of character, and if Hailey doesn't like me…I mean, she's your life and you have to do what's best for her, so if that means…"

"Whoever 'they' are, they're idiots," Bella interrupted his self-deprecation. "Hailey has no idea what's best for her. And while I do take her into consideration when making my decisions, my life is not ruled by her. My toddler doesn't make my choices for me, I do."

"Why does she accept her dad's girlfriend so fully, yet look at me as though I'm out to ruin her life?" Edward asked, with what sounded like a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"She's never had to share me with anyone before, Edward," Bella said gently, wishing that he would look at her. Instead, his eyes were closed and he had moved from running his fingers through his hair to pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger as if he had a monster headache building. "And her reaction today is my fault; I should have abided by my own rule of no obvious PDAs because that's obviously what set her off. I honestly had no idea that Hailey would or even could react like this," Bella said, shuddering a bit as she recalled some of the worst moments of Hailey's tantrum.

She smiled tentatively when Edward looked up at her, reaching over and taking her hand in a comforting manner. She could still see the doubt in his eyes, and she knew he needed additional reassurance. "You need to remember that Alice has been a part of this weird family equation since before she was even born. Hailey's always had to share her father's attention with his girlfriend; she's never known any other way. Even though Alice and I cannot stand one another, Hailey trusts her, and I trust Alice with Hailey."

"But Hailey doesn't trust me," Edward said flatly, angry with himself for creating the situation. _If I just would have waited for them this morning instead of going up to the apartment…_

"If you'll recall, neither did I at first. Hailey doesn't _know _you yet, Edward. Your first introduction didn't go very smoothly, and she didn't exactly respond the way I would have hoped today, but it was just the first time," Bella tried to soothe him.

"'Didn't go very smoothly'? Nice way of saying I fucked up royally. Bella, that kid wants _nothing_ to do with me!"

"Again, neither did I," Bella reminded him, needing to calm him, and wanting to make him smile again. "God, you were such an arrogant asshole. But somehow you managed to charm me anyway, despite the fact that I didn't even want you to try."

"Yeah, I tend to have that effect on women," he said, suddenly cocky as he winked at her.

Bella groaned and laughed all the same time. "Sure, let's go ask the toddler about your charm, shall we?" she scoffed and then gently reached out to touch his arm apologetically when he looked down, cheeks reddened. She realized she shouldn't have teased him when the experience was so fresh and he was so unsure. "Really, she just needs time to get to know you, to know that you're a good guy, like I do."

"I'm not a good guy, Bella, but for you I'd like to try," he said softly, looking back up at her, his eyes filled with pure, raw vulnerability.

At his words and tone, Bella felt herself fall a little bit more for the man at her side, helpless against the feelings that were building within her. She reached out wordlessly to cup his face with her hands, kissing him with all the emotion she felt, holding onto the glimmer of hope that somehow they would be able to come through this together and end up on the winning side.

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><p><strong>Thank you so much for your patience and support. I know I have still not yet replied to reviews for the last couple of chapters, but plan to get on that as soon as I get a grip on everything that's going on in life right now. But please know that I will keep writing - there is a lot of story left to tell!<strong>

**So if there was anything in this chapter that made you smile, laugh, sigh or even growl in frustration, please let me know by pushing that "Review This Chapter" button below.**

**Thank you so much for taking the time to read!**


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